Identity Crisis
by DJ Quicksilver
Summary: CT era. The future is not as bright as it once seemed. Driven from her old life, Chibiusa has now evolved into something more. Forged by the fires of her new life, the mantle of Protector now falls to her. Witness the birth of a champion...
1. Prologue: Cold

Identity Crisis

By: DJ Quicksilver

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.

Summary: CT era. A computer hacker, a pyromaniac, a kendo student, an empath, and a princess that no one knows exists. This is the story of Chibiusa, and her Neo Sailor Senshi. Destiny has finally caught up, and fate is not far behind.

Prep-Notes: This takes place more in the SM manga rather than in the SM series, though it will have elements of both in it. This story is still in development and I am posting this prologue as an experiment to see what public reaction is to this story and see if it is worthwhile to pursue or if it's dead fish in the water of ideas in my thick head. I'm praying to the gods that this being written in .wps doesn't screw up my formatting. Curse you Windows Vista!!!

This is my first Sailor Moon fanfic ever, so I'm a bit nervous and want to kinda poke my head out there with this for now before I decide to commit to anything. The majority of this chapter will be in first-person view, with a few tidbits in third-person view. Finally, be warned, it is a Yuri fic (Chibiusa/Hotaru is the main couple), and while it's only touched on slightly in the prologue, it will be much more apparent later on if I decide to develop it further, so take heed and stop reading if you find Yuri content offensive. I sincerely hope you enjoy this. :D

Prologue: Cold

'The moon is full tonight,' I noted, glancing up at the sky, a tearful expression marring my gaze.

As I walk away from the palace that was my home for well over 900 years, I can't help but notice the sorrow that is currently running its course through my body. I honestly don't understand why it is that I feel so sad leaving this place. It was as much of a prison as it was a home. I had no freedom. Every second of every day was planned out to the minute. The schedule varied from day to day, of course, but I was allowed practically no quarter as to what I wanted. I tried talking with my friends, but they gave me no sympathetic ear. I guess I should have expected it, considering who they are, but I would have thought they would have at least listened. Even though they were my parent's friends first and foremost, they were still my friends. I don't understand why they wouldn't listen. They used to be so different, my friends.

Then again, so were my parents.

In the past, my parents were not as unmoving as they are today. My father used to be a pre-med student at Tokyo University. He was somewhat stoic, but not enough to put you off right away. He was the kind of guy who enjoyed the quiet moments in life, someone who you can be around for a prolonged period of time without having to say anything and being incapable of finding the ensuing silence awkward. My mother was the complete opposite. She was a ditz, a klutz, a blonde, you name it. She was always very energetic, and had an aura around her that made you smile even if you were in the middle of the worst day of your life. Her heart had a way of reaching out to people, of melting ice and breaking down walls of steel. She was the most kind-hearted individual you could ever find, and the most loyal of friends.

Now all I see whenever I look at them is ice.

I don't know what changed them. Perhaps it was the sacrifice that they had to make to save humanity from the great freeze. Maybe it was their subsequent ascension to King and Queen of the Earth. Maybe it was something that they kept hidden from me. Now they seem so unmoving, so uncaring for the plight of their loved ones. Maybe they have been dealing in politics for so long that they forgot how to be simple human beings. Maybe they have other reasons. The fact of the matter though is that they expect me to be the same. Cold. I cannot give that to them. I refuse to destroy who I am just to fit their views of what a perfect daughter is supposed to be. Maybe if they would have backed off a little, I would have been able to simply ignore their wishes and endure. Today, however, was the straw that broke the camels' back.

It is my 18'Th birthday today. Not in years, mind you, but in body. Today my physical body has finally reached the physiology that I should have had over 900 years ago if my body didn't stop growing at the age of 5. I thought that they would be happy, and at least throw a small celebration, even if it were only for a couple of hours. My parents refused to see me, however, claiming that they were too busy meeting with some delegates from another solar system, something about forging an alliance with some of the neighboring systems to strengthen the safety of the Earth Kingdom. Sailors Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter were with her, as were Luna and Artemis, my mothers' and Sailor Venus' guardian Mau's and advisors respectively. Sailor Venus was at Central Control as always, overseeing the Palace security. The Outer Senshi were at their respective posts. Sailors Uranus and Neptune were on planet Neptune in their castle, the first line of defense against outside threats to the solar system. Sailor Saturn, my long time friend and ally in this lonely existence, had banished herself to planet Saturn out of fear of her own powers. Sailor Pluto was, as always, guarding the Gates of Time as has been her charge since the Gates creation.

With no one to share my joy with, I was forced to spend most of the day secluded. Diana, my own guardian Mau and advisor, was with me to lend a sympathetic ear. She was perhaps my last true friend in this world. She is always there when I need her, and is loyal to a fault. I thought to spend some time in the palace gardens with her, and then head back to my room for the rest of the evening. Of course, I didn't even make it to the gardens before I was intercepted by one of my mother's aids. She said that my mother requested my presence and that I was to dress formal. Ugh, more politics.

I, of course, had to comply with my mother's wishes, else there would be hell to pay later. So I went and changed into my princess gown, told Diana to wait in my room, placed my simple diadem on my head, and headed down to the Dignitary's Meeting Hall in the Crystal Palace. I didn't really pay attention as my mother introduced me to the representative of some solar system or another.

Then my mother dropped the bomb on me. Now that I was of age, they were engaging me to the prince of said solar system, an arranged marriage to solidify the alliance that my mother was trying to forge. Obviously, I didn't take the news too well. Hopefully, it will take the palace staff a very long time to repair the damage to the hall.

I didn't even give her the chance to explain herself. I simply stormed out, ran to my room, and started packing as much as I could fit into one military duffle bag. When Diana asked where I was going, I gave her an abridged version of what had happened as I continued packing what I would need. I left all my dresses behind, I wouldn't need them where I was going. I packed light clothing only, and left anything I knew I wouldn't need behind. The only three things I took with me that wasn't clothing were an old picture from my adventures in the past, my diary, and the locket that contained my Pink Heart Crystal, the object of magic that allowed me to transform into a Sailor Senshi – Sailor Chibi-Moon. I snuck out through the window just as the knocking on my door had started.

Now I'm walking passed the city limits of Crystal Tokyo, sporting my favorite low-cut jeans, tank top shirt, and my gray cloak with the big hood down, unneeded without the large crowds surrounding me, heading out from the edge of the city towards my secret hiding spot. There's a series of woods out in the northeast, about 50 kilometers or so, and in one of them was a nice little clearing where she had build a lean-to shelter with instructions she had gotten from the internet. It was a nice little spot she had found during her time in the past, and she had been surprised to find that it still existed in the future. She would often sneak over there with Hotaru, before she banished herself to her castle in Saturn, and spend hour's just laying about, and even stargazing whenever they could get away with spending the night there.

I sighed as I wracked my head and tried to come up with a plan. I had basically packed a bag, jumped out of a window using my Senshi magic, and ran as fast as I could get away. Sure, I was careful not to be seen, but I knew I didn't have much time before the alarm was raised at my disappearance. I had to keep low profile, and my little spot in the woods seemed to be the only place that I could think of where I'd be relatively safe. I knew though, that I wouldn't be able to hide there for long. So long as my Pink Heart Crystal was linked to my mother through her Imperial Silver Crystal, I knew that I couldn't stay in one place for too long, else she would be able to catch up with me. Sweet merciful spirits, have I tried to find a way around that link.

For about seven years I had tried to find a way to unbind myself from my mothers grasp. I don't want to be the lady that she was trying to train me to be. I needed a way out, before she tried to force me through it 'for my own good' as she likes to put it. I had ran it by Hotaru many times, and she had tried time and time again. According to her, the only way that a Senshi could break the link between her and the Crystal is through death and rebirth, and even then it was only a temporary break, until they were awakened again. So long as the Silver Crystal existed, she was bound to her mother.

I sighed as the thought of death started to bog my mind down with memories of Hotaru and memories of the Imperial Silver Crystal. Good and bad memories assail me as I try to fight down tears of frustration. It made her think of how Hotaru always reacted whenever she was in the presence of that Crystal. It seem that the Silver Crystal was the one of very few objects that truly unnerved her. It makes me wonder exactly how the Silver Crystal was forged to begin with…

It was as if lightning had struck. I come to a halt as the shocking realization starts to hit me. Crystal… forging… life… death… rebirth… this was the key! This was the answer to her problems. Slowly, a plan starts to form in my head as I start walking again, double the pace that I had been walking before. It was crazy, desperate, and would definitely mean the end of my current existence, but compared to my fate should I otherwise fail to act, I figure it is the best plan I could come up with that didn't involve the eternal shackles of bitter coldness that awaited with my family back at the palace. As I started reaching the city limit's the wind started picking up. I felt my hood blow back, revealing my pink hair for the world to see. I sighed as I tried to comb the hastily made plan through my mind, wishing again for Hotaru to be with me, to give me comfort and advice, both as a friend and the avatar of Death, Destruction, and Rebirth.

There were times when I still can't believe that Hotaru is gone. She had said that she was doing it to protect me from herself, from her power. She had felt her powers of Destruction and Rebirth growing, and was finding it harder and harder to control the intensity of the forces that were hers to unleash. She had said that she feared for the safety of the people of Earth, for her own safety. Most of all though, she had told me, she feared for my safety above all others. She had banished herself to her home planet and put up a shield around the entire planet. Nothing could penetrate the shield, not the largest of asteroids nor the smallest of dust particles. It grieves me that my closest and dearest of friends didn't seem to trust in herself to control her powers. I know that Hotaru would never hurt the people of Earth or herself. Most of all though, I know that she would never hurt me, whether by choice or by accident. The bond that Hotaru and I share is too strong, too deep for me to be in any danger from her. It stung me, her decision to part from me like that. It was yet another betrayal to add to the pile of growing resentment to this existence.

I was startled from my thoughts when Diana hopped from my shoulders and onto my head between the pointed buns that made up my hairstyle. "Princess, where are we going?"

I smiled at the chance that I now saw I had at a new life, at true freedom. "We're going to my secret spot, Diana. I've got a plan to execute once we get there."

"What plan Princess? You're not going to be in trouble, are you?" asked Diana. Looks like she knows me a bit too well.

"No Diana. I won't be in trouble, not for a very long time."

We fell into silence as we finally see the beginning of the woods that I'm heading towards. It was an uncomfortable silence, and I immediately knew that Diana was worried. I honestly don't blame her, if I were her, I'd be worried too, especially considering what I was about to do.

A half hour later, we finally reached the clearing. It wasn't that big, but it was secluded. There was a small pond at the edge of it with a running stream flowing into it, and the surrounding woods were warm and inviting. There was a tree by that pond at the edge that I had found. Its roots were all over the place, and it made the perfect hiding spot for what I wanted to leave behind. I sent Diana out to the pond while I sat down near my tree and readied myself for the tasks that were before me.

I pulled out my diary, ripped two pages out and wrote the beginnings of a letter on one. It took me about 45 minutes to write out the page long letter that I wanted. I wanted to make sure that this particular letter was well written, and that it betrayed nothing to anyone who might chance on it by accident. She had to code it in a way that she knew she would be able to decipher, even if it she had to do it on instinct alone. This would be the letter that she would leave behind with the diary. The second letter took much less time, but wound up taking up both sides of the paper. This was the letter that she addressed to her mother. Once I finished this, she grabbed the first letter, folded it in half, and then in half again, wrote 'Read Me First' on the outside of it, put it between the cover and first page of her diary, and closed it. She then put it into her bag, took out her Pink Heart Crystal, and tucked the bag under the roots of the tree, hiding it until she found need of it again.

"Diana, come here please," I called out as she faced away from the tree and kneeled on the ground with both knees. Diana bound towards me, and I couldn't help but smile at her boundless energy. Even now, in what I realized would most probably be my final moments for a while, I still had the capacity to smile at the simple things. 'Good. Hopefully it will always be like this, even after my rebirth. I can only hope that I won't wind up like my parents are now.'

"What's the matter Usa-chan? What's wrong?" asked Diana.

The smile faded from me as I saw the sparkle in her eyes. I would miss that look of devotion on her. I could only hope that the separation will be temporary, otherwise I would have burst out crying right then and there. Now that she was here, it was time to begin.

"Diana, I need to ask you a very important question. How you answer this question will affect our future together, as well as the future of the world as we know it. Will you answer this question as honestly and honorably as you can, Diana?" I asked.

I saw her pause. She was sitting stalk still, and I could see the sparkle from her eyes dim somewhat. Good, she finally realized that whatever I had planned is very serious. "I will, on my honor as a Mau and your guardian, I swear I will answer you as honestly and honorably as I can."

"Good. I would like to start by apologizing in advance, as what I'm about to ask you will most probably have repercussions that you may not like. It might strain your relationship between both of our parents. Do you think you can handle that?" I ask. I see only a slight amount of hesitation on Diana's part before she answered. "Of course Usa-chan, I can handle anything you need to handle."

"Thank you, Diana-chan. Now, here is my question. There can be no ifs, ands, or buts about this. There can also be no in-betweens in this matter. I need to know where your loyalty lies. If you were forced to choose between your loyalty to our parents, and your loyalty to me, what would you choose?"

Here, there was no hesitation from Diana. "My loyalty has been, and always will be, with you Small Lady. No matter whether that loyalty takes me, I will always be by your side, and no one else's," she replied with a small bow. 'Small Lady…' I thought with a sad smile. It had been years since I last heard someone call me Small Lady. This declaration brought a small tear to my eye.

"Good. Thank you, Diana, for your loyalty and support. I can honestly say that it is, perhaps, the most precious of treasures I currently posses."

There was a small pause, as I needed to think of the wording of the next part of my plan. "Diana, I need you to pay close attention to what I'm about to say, to explain. It will most probably be the most important thing you have ever done up to date. I need you to stay quiet and not interrupt me until I am done explaining what I'm about to do, and what I need you to do. Do you understand me Diana?"

"Yes Usa-chan, I understand," she replied.

"Then listen to what I have to say." I paused as I tried to put to words what has been hurting me for so long, and what had only today finished breaking me completely. "I've been betrayed Diana. My friends betrayed me by abandoning me. My parents betrayed me by trying to marry me off. If things continue as they are right now, I will be trapped in a world that I want no part of. I would be a prisoner for all times, in my own home, bound to the wishes of others. As I am right now, I don't have the strength or power to right any of these wrongs. This is why I need to do as I must, and I need your help to do so."

"What do you need to do Small Lady? And what can I do to help?" asked Diana. Bless her little heart, I can't wait for the day we meet again. "You know that Sailor Senshi don't really ever die, but we are reborn. This is the one ability that will free me Diana. I will give my life energy to my Pink Heart Crystal, and through this act, my spirit will be reborn in another body. What you need to do, Diana, is deliver this letter to the Queen, my mother, and then leave the palace and look for me. Find me again, and guide me to reclaim my Crystal, so that I may unlock my memories again."

Diana stiffened at what she heard. "Small Lady… if you go through with this plan…"

"I know Diana. If I go through with this plan, then I will die."

"…" Silence reigned in the clearing. Finally, after a couple of minutes, Diana finally spoke up. "Small Lady… why is your death required in doing this? Is there any other way that we can…"

"There IS no other way Diana. My strength is limited by my Heart Crystal. Furthermore, my Crystal is bound to my mother's Imperial Silver Crystal. The only way to break that link is through death. If I infuse my Pink Heart Crystal with my life energy, then the crystal itself will change. It will become very similar in potential to the Imperial Silver Crystal, though I have no way of knowing how powerful it will become. It'll become something like it's twin, it's future, the Neo Silver Crystal. Only by unlocking my Crystal's maximum potential will I be able to grow strong enough to fight back, and regain control of my life. Just as the Sailor Senshi grew in power because of the discovery of their own planetary crystals, and just as my own mother grew stronger as her Silver Crystal grew in power, so too will I grow stronger as my own Crystal grows in strength, but for that to happen, my Crystal must be changed, and the link to my mother must be severed. By doing this it will loose its tie with the Imperial Silver Crystal and become a Silver Crystal in its own right."

There was a small pause. "I know it sounds a little crazy, Diana-chan, but I swear it's the - "

"How do I find you Small Lady? How do I find you when you are reborn?" she interrupted.

I paused at that. "I don't know Diana. All I know is that when the time comes, you will know who I am and where to find me, just as your mother Luna knew how to find my own mother when she first became Sailor Moon."

"Very well, I will do as you ask, but…" Diana seemed to hesitate. I cocked my head to the side. "What's wrong Diana?"

"Can… can I have a hug before… before…" it was then that I noticed that Diana was on the verge of breaking down. My heart broke all over again at the sight. I picked her up and gave her the biggest hug I could manage. She sniffled into my bosom as she spent the next few minutes crying. This would be our last hug, our goodbye until she found me in my next life. At last we separated. I gave her the letter that I wrote to the Queen, kissed her brow, and watched as Diana left the clearing. I gave her a good hour, to be sure that she made it back to the palace before I did the deed.

At last, the time had come. I sat down upon the earth and cupped my Pink Heart Crystal in my hands. I started to gather all of the energy within me. For perhaps five or ten minutes all I did was gather energy. Energy from within, energy from without. Soon the pond, the woods, myself, and the earth that supported us started glowing different shades of pink, purple, and white.

Finally, I knew it was time. With a deep breath, I started to channel all of the energy into the Crystal. The Crystal itself started to give off a glow as it started to change. It grew brighter and brighter as I channeled more and more energy into it. At last, after ten more minutes, the glow of the Crystal reached its crescendo and a beam of light shot up into the sky towards the full moon. Finally, the Crystal started to change shape, slowly morphing from the shape of a heart to the shape of a perfect sphere. When the change was finished, I started withdrawing the energy back in, but rather that bring it back within myself, I channeled it all back into the crystal. Every last drop of energy went into it, until finally, there was nothing left to give.

As the crystal dimmed in its glow, we both flashed one more time before giving off an explosion of light and in a ball of energy, let hell loose.

'So this is what it feels like to die…' are my last thoughts as light gives way to darkness…

-0-0-0-0-

On the distant planet of Saturn, a figure awoke with a start, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Usa-chan…" she whispered out, her voice rusty and hollow. She felt her friend's passing just as sure as she felt her rebirth. "What have you done…"

For the rest of that night, the only sound to come out of the Castle of Silence was the wracked sobs of it's sole resident.

-0-0-0-0-

At the Gates of Time, another figure watched the events in the clearing unfold. Sailor Pluto watched on, unable to react as she saw what was taking place before her.

'Usa-chan…' she thought mournfully. 'Why couldn't I see your pain before… why didn't you come talk to me…'

Tears streamed down her eyes as she watched on, unable to move, unable to act, unable to interfere.

-0-0-0-0-

A gasp escaped her lips as she skidded to a halt, lips trembling as she felt the link to her daughter fade away into nothingness.

She had been searching the palace grounds with her staff and guardians, hopping to find her daughter and apologize to her for what had happened earlier, and to spend some time with her on her birthday when it happened. Her husband halted as soon as he realized that his wife was no longer following.

"Serenity? What's wrong?"

He walked back to her, worry marring his handsome face as he saw her body tremble. He knew something was wrong, and her sobbing figure only confirmed it. Something had happened. "Serenity… Usako… what's wrong?"

"Endymion… Mamoru… I can't feel her anymore?" she replied. He frowned. "Can't feel who?"

"Chibiusa-chan… I can't feel her anymore. Her link is gone," she whispered. She turned to look at him. "Mamo-chan… there are only two things that can break that link…"

He closed his eyes. He knew perfectly well what those two things were that she was talking about and the meaning of what both of those events occurring meant. "Are you sure, Usako? Are you absolutely - "

"Yes! Yes I'm sure, it's gone! She's gone Mamo-chan… she's…" she couldn't finish the thought, couldn't finish that line of thinking. 'This isn't happening… this can't be happening…' she thought over and over again, desperately searching within her, trying to find event he smallest of traces of the link that bound her and her daughter together and finding not even a scrap. She let out a moan that bordered on a wail of desperation as she sought what wasn't there. There was no denying what she was feeling - Chibiusa, her daughter, was dead.

He embraced her as she cried silently into his chest, soaking his dress shirt in her tears. His own tears soon joined those of his wife as they mourned the passing of their world, their life. 'Chibiusa-chan…'

"Usagi-chan! Usagi-chan, come quick!" cried out a voice as they suddenly registered the sound of rushed footsteps. They turned to see two figures rushing towards them, one clad in a green sailor fuku, and another in blue.

"Makoto-chan? Ami-chan? What have you found?" asked Usagi in a raspy voice as she wiped the tears from her face.

"The moon Usagi-chan," gasped out Sailor Mercury as she screeched to a halt in front of them. "Look at the moon quick!"

They found a nearby window and looked with astonished eyes at the thick beam of pure light that connected the moon to the land outside and the force of energy that was being unleashed to the surrounding area.

"By the spirit of Selene…" whispered Usagi in total shock, her eyes red and puffy as she stared at what she knew was probably caused by her daughter, "… what have you done, Small Lady…"

-0-0-0-0-

At last, the light show dimmed down and finally died out. As the light left the clearing, the wind rustled through the trees that were left untouched by the mayhem that had taken place earlier. The clearing was empty. Neither the girl nor the glowing crystal that were present before were there. Tsukino Usagi II, Princess Small Lady Serenity, but more commonly known as Chibiusa, had finally moved on. Her rebirth will mark the birth of a new era of Senshi.

To Be Continued…

A/N: Well, there it is, my first timid attempt at a Sailor Moon fic, and one that I hope I got right. It's a bit longer that I expected it to be, just over 5100 words, but there you have it. This is an experiment that I'm currently toying with. I have no clue if it's something that I might develop further or if I even wrote this piece right, as I've never written an SM fanfic before, so I'm sailing uncharted waters as it is with this prologue alone. I welcome all suggestions and comments, and hopefully, this story will evolve into something more. Until the next one folks!


	2. 01: Splitting Up is Serious Business

**Prep-Notes: The experiment continues! The plot bunny is rolling and I'm following it's tail, wherever it takes me. This chapter will, similarly to the prologue, be mostly in the first-person POV with a few tidbits in the third-person POV. I don't know if this is the same format that I'll be using for the entire fanfic, so I decided that I'll just play it by ear, and take the formatting of each chapter on a case-by-case basis depending on what I feel the story needs. I'll try to remember to post the format of each chapter in the Prep-Notes so as to avoid confusion among the 'slower' members of whatever audience I have gathered (No offense meant, of course. Hell's I'm probably 'slower' than most of you lot!). **

**UPDATE!!! CHAPTER 1 HAS, AS OF 05/01/2009, BEEN UPDATED FOR SPELLING AND GRAMMAR ERRORS, AS WELL AS SOME CHANGES AND DELETION OF IRRELEVANT CONTENT FROM THE STORY.**

"**xxx," is talking.**

'**xxx,' is thinking.**

_**Xxx**_** is writing on paper.**

**Xxx** is typing on a computer.

Chapter Preview: This chapter introduces us to our heroine and main character. It shows the kind of life that she currently lives, what she's like, how she feels, etc. It also gives the background to the majority of the OC's in this story. It's the groundwork for the story to develop. It might seem a bit monotonous, but it gets somewhat better after the introduction section, I swear. Humor, angst, sarcasm, Here's to hoping I can get this right! ^_^"

Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Splitting Up Is Serious Business

'Ugh…' was the first thought to penetrate my thick skull as the alarm blared to life. I feel my arm respond without a thought. Wham! That shut it up good. I snuggle back into my pillow and attempt to drift back off into the bliss of sleep. I have absolutely no clue if I had been lying there for minutes or hours, all I know is that sometime later, I feel something soft reciprocate the abuse I gave my alarm clock earlier. "Wuzzat…" I mumbles and I partially opened my eyes. Blue hair with green highlights streamed into my line of sight.

"Time to wake up Rini-chan!" said a cheerful voice. Light streamed into the room as yet another figure pulled back the purple curtains of her room to let the sunlight in. This one had short black hair that came up to her neck. She turned and fixed her blood red eyes into me. Dear gods, those eyes can be scary when she looks like that. "Hurry out of bed, before I burn your breakfast along with the rest of your room!" On second thought…

A nudge from above me told me that the girl currently sitting on my back was currently poking the back of my head. "Oy… you mind getting off me so I can get up Lina-chan?" I felt her scoot off me to the edge of my bed. I turned around and sat up, trying to banish the fog of sleep from my mind. "I'll be out in a few minutes. Waking up is a process you know."

Lina just raised an eyebrow at me, as if sending me a silent 'lolwut?' at me. God, computer geeks freaked me out sometimes, especially hardcore gamers like Lina. "Go, woman, so I can take a shower in piece."

She stood up and headed out, leaving me alone. I took a glance at the alarm clock. 6:03am. Good, I have time to relax a bit before breakfast. A glance at the curtains reminded me that I had a certified loony after my room's destruction. Make that a quick shower…

Ten minutes later I come out drying my shoulder long pink hair and head to the breakfast table in the kitchen. I glance around at the daily gathering. My girls were already up, though not all were completely awake yet it seemed. We had all grown up together in one form or another. We were all the same - orphans, runaways, and survivors of the streets of West Tokyo; each haunted by our own pasts.

Rikku-chan was perhaps the scariest of our group. 15 years old, black, neck long hair, blood red eyes, average figure, she was your typical looking girl, if you ignore her eyes. Gods, those eyes can burn a hole in your head if you look into them long enough. When I pointed out earlier that she was a certified loony, I meant it - she has a history of being institutionalized, though I have to admit that it's not all her fault. I remember just a little over two years ago when she told me her story, the last time we ever had to break her out and run for it. One of her foster parents tried to rape her. She remember trying to fight him off, how she had knocked the cigarette that he was smoking out of his mouth, how he had beat her within an inch of her life, how her curtains had caught fire, how she finally managed to find the baseball bat under her bed during the confusion, how she cracked his skull open and left his unconscious body to burn in the house with a mad gleam in her eyes. Ever since then, she found allure in the glow of fire. Her obsession with the element was borderline dangerous. Pyromania, they call it. She carried a lighter and at least one book of matches wherever she went. She was one of two of us girls who flat out refused to wear dresses. She wasn't a bad girl though. Her past makes her misunderstood by others. I first saw her at an orphanage we had been staying at about 8 years ago. I was 7, she was 6. I grew up with her on and off, running into her several times at several 'homes'. She used to be so happy-go-lucky, even at the orphanages. I never forgave what that man did to her, when she came back touched with madness. Even with him dead, I still don't forgive him. I was her only friend for a very long time before I practically dragged her from her last 'home' and took her with me to live with us two years ago.

Miki-chan was the next girl I laid eyes upon. Poor Miki was sitting at the table with her head propped onto her drooping arms snoring lightly. 16 years old, a tomboy at heart, but with figure that can kill a person if used effectively, she easily dwarfed us in looks. Dirty blonde hair that came down to mid back, light blue eyes, she has a gift with people that I sometimes envy, and sometimes wish I'd never heard of before. Miki was an empath - she could feel what others felt. For a very long time she had absolutely no control over her gift. This caused her parents to abandon her at the age of 7, when they finally got tired of all the psychiatrists, the hospitals, the money they had to spend on medicines to keep her sedated. For years she drifted from orphanage to orphanage, shelter to shelter, never staying in one place for too long. Every matron, patron, owner, caretaker, and child feared that she was possessed - how else could she have such disturbing insight into what everyone around her was feeling. She was horribly underfed when I first met her 5 years ago. She was one of the three that ran away with us from our last orphanage two years ago. At that particular time, she still couldn't do very well around a lot of people, the sheer amount of emotions she felt when in a large crowd were overwhelming. To this day I swear she would have died alone on the streets if I hadn't found her. Without Raina to teach her meditation, and me to had cared for her when she couldn't, she would have been lost to us.

Speaking of Raina-chan, she was currently in the kitchen preparing breakfast. My stomach growled at the thought. 'I need sustenance…' I thought as I sat down next to Rikku and stared at Raina as she worked. 18 years old, shoulder length caramel hair with stunning green eyes, tall, and a bit more muscular than normal for a girl her age, she's the only one of us orphans who hasn't had to experience the hardship of the orphanage. Raina's parents died in a terrorist attack in Neo-Hokkaido when she was very young, younger than she remembered. She was adopted by her mother's longtime friend, Reiki Basara. Reiki is a martial artist, a master of Kendo to be precise. He owns a chain of dojos around Japan, a couple in Neo-Hokkaido, one in Neo-Kyoto, and three in Neo-Tokyo. He's been training Raina in their art since before she could walk. She was a student still, yet to us she was a master. She was also the other girl in our little group that refused to wear dresses. For as innocent as she seems, she has the soul of a warrior, and the wisdom of one as well. She and her guardian had opened up their third dojo about 6 years ago, about 5 blocks from the orphanage I was staying at. Raina and I met at a grocery store. She caught me trying to shoplift a candy bar and stopped me. When I tried to shove her down and run she snatched my wrist, got me in a weird arm lock, took the candy from me, and paid the store clerk for it before giving it back. She said that robbing with malicious intent is wrong, and left. I had followed her all the way back to her dojo. I told her that I wasn't robbing with malicious intent, but through the need to survive. She was the first person I had ever opened up to other than my best friend. I told her of how I was forced to live on the streets between shelters, the pains that my friend and I had to constantly endure just to have something to eat at the end of the day. Finally, when we reached the dojo, she invited me in for dinner. Even at the age of 12 she could cook up a storm of food. Reiki and Raina were wonderful host, and I finally had another girlfriend to talk to. Over time she has taught me and, as time went on, my friends some of what she knows. Mostly meditation techniques, some basic katas, and some physical fitness tips for staying in shape. She always spent extra time with Miki, teaching her everything she knew about meditation so as to try to work some control over her gift. After a few months, Miki started getting better. After a year, she had complete control of her empathy. I have always felt a debt of gratitude towards Raina for that, and even then she never stopped helping us when needed. She was the one who helped Miki, Lina, and I escape from our last orphanage without getting caught two years ago. It's through her that we now have a place to stay, and through her that we can legally be on our own now. With a little help of Lina's magic and Reiki and Raina's consent, we now all bear their last name - Basara. Thanks to her, we're all sisters now.

Finally, I glanced over at Lina-chan. She was sitting in the corner of her table with a laptop computer, typing away at something. It being barely 6:30 in the morning, so she was probably hacking into our private bank account again to bring it back up to their usual balance of 100,000 yen. Lina-chan was my lifeline in this world, and I hers. I've known her since I could barely walk. We were born on the same day, in the same hospital. We were even told that our mother's had given birth next to each other. 16 years old, teal shoulder length hair, crystal-blue eyes, and a petite figure, she was the brains of our group. For a long time, growing up, wherever she went, I went. She was the brains, I was the brawn. I was the street brawler, the bodyguard. She was what really kept us alive. We're sisters in all but blood. We were inseparable, until one day 7 years ago. She was sent away for a month, to be with some potential foster parents. They seemed like decent people. I'm a good judge of character, and they didn't seem malicious, they seemed to genuinely care about us. She came back to me a month later traumatized. She hasn't talked since then. She hasn't talked for a very long time. It's not that she doesn't like to communicate with people, or that her voice was damaged, but at some point during that month, something had happened to her, something that took away her will to talk. She got slightly better as time went on and we started moving from shelter to shelter again, making the best of what we had, but she, like Rikku, never completely recovered what she had lost. Now-a-days, she only talked when she felt she needed to. Today, Lina-chan is still the lifeline that keeps us off the streets . She's a genius with computer programming, and by proxy, a genius at hacking. She is what keeps our bank account up to par so that we would never have to beg, and made sure we always had enough money for rent, food, clothes, and other necessities and some simple pleasures. It might not be the most honest way of making a living, but it keeps us from robbing stores, selling drugs, from prostitution, or even worse, from the Yakuza. I guess such is the sacrifice that we have to make if we want to live on our own while the majority of us are under-age and unable to find jobs. No one wants to hire strays. She made sure to keep the amount in our shared account small enough that it wasn't noticed, but large enough that we lived somewhat comfortable.

I was startled out of my reflecting when Raina came out of the kitchen with plates balancing on places she really thought would be impossible to balance. "Breakfast is served girls! I'll be putting the coffee out in a bit for you Miki chan, so hang in there."

"Have I told you how much I love you yet Na-chan?" groaned out Miki, not even bothering to look up.

"Sorry sweetheart, but pronouncing your eternal love for me won't bring the coffee out any faster," came the cheeky reply from the brunette as she set down the different breakfast dishes. She seemed to really love Western style cooking. Not that I minded either.

"In that case, I hate all of you…"

"Just because I can't make the coffee faster doesn't mean that I can't bring it out as slow as a snail."

"… don't make me sic Rikku-chan on you Na-chan…"

"Eheheheh, no need to be so hasty there Miki-chan, I'll have the coffee out as soon as it's ready, you'll see." Ah, pointless banter. Not quite the common tonic to be taking right as you wake up, but for me at least, mornings wouldn't be mornings without threatening to direct Rikku at one girl or another. I gave Rikku a side-long glance and saw that she was playing with a new Zippo lighter. Seems this one had a particular rendering of a phoenix on it. She has other phoenix Zippo's, but this one seems to be etched onto the metal rather than painted on. I can see why she got it. She was flicking the top open and close, lighting it every now and again and stroking the tip of the flame with a fingernail. How that girl never burns herself with how she plays with fire is beyond me.

"Last day of school Serena-chan! You excited?" exclaimed Rikku in her usual bubbly voice. That girl is entirely too happy to be up at any time before 10am. The prospect of school finishing though DID seem to brighten my blurred view on the world this morning though.

"Rikku-chan, it's so early right now I don't think I can muster enough energy to get excited about your new Zippo, much less school," I replied, sounding almost like a zombie.

"Aww come on Rini, don't be like that. You know you've been looking forward to summer break all year."

My response was thudding my head on the table and groaning before mustering enough strength to lift my forearms and start eating. Ah, the sweet merciful gods of good cuisine have smiled upon me today. The moment the feel, taste, and texture of eggs and sausage links hit my tongue I instantly start feeling much better.

I finish eating breakfast relatively fast and head into my room to dress myself for the day. I decide to go with black, low-ride jeans and a blue tank top. White sneakers and a lightweight denim jacket complete my outfit for the day. It was unusually cold for it being summer. Then again, it was always somewhat chilly in Crystal Tokyo. People have said that ever since the Great Freeze, the wind has had a certain bite to it that's never really let up. By now, most of the Earth has recovered from that catastrophe, but it left certain lingering effects that would probably take millions of years to completely recover from, the wind being one of them.

I walk back out of my room and into the living room with my diary at hand, to gather my things for the day. The living room is spacious enough to accommodate us, with a 2 couch set taking up two walls near the sliding door to the balcony and a 40 inch flat screen TV hanging off of a metal plate, angled downwards from the corner of the room. I have to say though, it's the ONLY room in the apartment with enough room to accommodate all of us. It was a three bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment that Lina-chan had found for us. Miki had been able to convince Raina to sign the paperwork for renting it for us while Lina worked up the funds to keep it. It was only a month later that Raina decided to move in with us, to make sure we were 'taking care of ourselves'. Reiki-kun seemed to understand her decision and supported her through the whole thing, he even helped her move some of her stuff from the dojo she was staying at. When we saw the rooms we had instantly drawn straws to see who got exclusive rights to the master bedroom and master bathroom. I, obviously, won the draw, so I was the only one in the apartment with a room of my own. Lina and Rikku shared the larger room, mainly due to Lina's 'collection' of computers, laptop, and computer hardware, and Rikku's destructive sense of fun. Raina and Miki got the smallest of the rooms, though each seemed content with what they had. Neither had ever had much to begin with, so just having each other's company seemed to be enough incentive, though with Miki, there was always alternative reasons. In this case, it was her continuous attempts at trying to crack Raina-chan. Apparently, Raina was able to use her meditation techniques to block out Miki's empathy, something that vexes her to no ends. She can't get even the slightest reading out of her. The wars that those two have fought ever since Miki stumbled onto that particular discovery…

I decide to leave all except one notebook at home in case something last minute comes up. I slip my diary in my bag and shoulder it. "Alright, I'm ready!"

"Good, we're just waiting on Lina and Miki," said Raina. She was wearing some gym pants and a male small-sized muscle shirt that was cut up enough to show a bit of skin but not enough to completely ruin the shirt. Rikku was sitting next to her in jean shorts and a black t-shirt with a small leather jacket that was on her more for looks than for protection. I sighed. Lina was probably trying to decide whether she should take her blue computer bag or her green computer bag with whatever outfit she chose, and Miki was probably trying to help but getting nowhere.

"Lina-chan, just grab the blue one and lets go! You already took the green one on Friday!" I yelled out. A minute later, a blushing Lina came out wearing a knee length dark blue skirt and a long sleeve white shirt with a little heart on the right corner, her blue computer bag on her shoulder, weighed down by her laptop and whatever else she was bringing. She shot one of her glares at me as Miki followed with a smug expression on her face.

We leave the apartment and start heading down. We're on the fourth floor of a six story complex, so naturally, we all hit the stairs for our daily dose of cardio. Raina's insistence, I swear. Once we reach the side walk I move next to Lina-chan as is customary. My eyes automatically start darting from side to side, looking for potential crooks and crannies from which potential threats could jump out at us. It was almost like the old days, with a 11 year old Lina walking timidly looking for suitable shelter for us while I walked next to her, the street brawler who those even older than I was feared to cross. I move my hands down into my pocket and finger the switch knife that I kept at hand. I never went anywhere without my knife, even at school I made sure to have it on me at all times. It had gotten me in trouble more than once with the teachers and the school security, but it had saved our lives too many times for me to leave it at home just because of some authority figure on a power trip said to.

We reach the school grounds relatively fast, our apartment is maybe ten blocks away from the school so the walk isn't too bad so long as we leave on time. We split up, Raina heading to the main office to pick up her graduation gown, Rikku heading to her homeroom seemingly in a trance, probably trying some meditation techniques to keep herself in check, and the rest of us heading off to our own homeroom.

School is dull as usual. Since it's the last day, the teachers let us do mostly whatever we wanted. Fortunately, Lina has a cracked internet connection, bless her soul, so we were able to kill time by surfing the web. The rest of the class kept their distance from us. That suited us just fine, those who judge us just because of what we were aren't worthy of our attention. I did notice myself getting a bit more nervous as the day went on. On my way to third period, I managed to catch a couple of cops wandering one of the halls of the school, asking questions to teachers and students. 'Now that can't be good…'

Lunch was a quiet affair. We all sat down outside under one of the trees just inside the gates of the school. Raina and Miki were idly chit-chatting about their morning and Rikku was watching music videos with Lina on her laptop. I took the opportunity to pull out my diary and start a new entry.

_14/06/957 NSM_

_Dear Diary_

_It's the last day of school today. I'm currently at lunch right now, looking on and reflecting at what a year it has been. It's had good times and bad times, but the girls and I are closer to each other now than I ever thought possible. It's been two years since we started living in this area, since Lina found our apartment. We've turned it into our home. For the first time that I can ever remember, we have a home. Even after all this time, I still can't believe that I finally have a last name. I've been a ronin for so long, what with my being found out in the streets as a baby and all that I still find it unbelievable to find myself with a family. The girls have all become my sisters in all but blood. We're even sisters in name now, thanks to Lina and Raina. Basara Serena. That's my name now, and I love the sound of every variant of it._

_I can only hope that the peace lasts. I was on my way to third period this morning when I saw two police officers asking one of our teachers some questions. From the looks of it, they weren't with school security. Now, normally it might be anything, but with my paranoia the way it is, I'd say it would mean that they were probably asking about the girls and I. We're lucky it's the last day of school. I'll have to talk to everyone today when we go to the Crown to hang out. We'll have to keep a low profile if we want to keep living in the area, or else we'll have to start looking around again. Damn, and I was starting to get used to our little apartment too. Ah well, looks like we'll have to keep our heads down then, I really don't want to loose my first home yet. Even if it was for a little while longer._

I ended my entry there for now as I heard the bell ring. I looked down at my bento and noticed it was empty. That's when I noticed the aftertaste of food in my mouth. I had no clue that I had even eaten anything! I guess when I start to get into my writing I really don't notice anything else.

The rest of the day went alright. I cautioned the girls to keep low and that I'll explain at the Crown after school. As the last bell rang I had to keep my head low. Those two police officers were sweeping the halls, looking for someone, the girls and I, I immediately guess. I had to get away. I met the rest of them at our after school meeting spot, about a block away from the school near one of the café's. Quietly, we walked over to the Crown Arcade. We went there at least three times a week, if not more, for shakes and to talk. The walk didn't take long. Maybe fifteen minutes at the most.

The Crown was an ancient place. It was marked a good while back as a historic landmark by Neo-Queen Serenity, supposedly it served as some kind of headquarters for her during the queen's own teen years. It hardly mattered to me though, I just liked the chocolate malts that they served.

Once we were seated and had our shakes in front of us, I went ahead and told the girls what I had seen. It didn't take long to explain, but it brought a level of worry that only runaways like us truly felt.

"This complicates matters," said Miki, a frown on her face.

"I'll cook them in their own skin," muttered Rikku as she got 'the gleam' in her eyes. Ho boy. Crystal Palace, we have a problem.

"Calm down Rikku, if anything we can stay at one of Uncle Reiki's dojo's for a while until things cool down. I'm sure he wouldn't mind the extra company." God bless Raina's guardian. Uncle Reiki might be a bit eccentric, but he was a good man with a heart of gold.

"Raina's right, we shouldn't be panicking just yet. We have contingency plans," I put out, about to go over our alternatives. That is, until I felt a tug on my arm. I turn to look at Lina and she points at her laptop where she has her word processor out. She had typed in something for me to read.

**If the authorities are really looking for us, then our best chance to avoid them is to split up. One or two of us should go with Na-chan to her Uncle Reiki for a month, maybe even for the entire summer break if need be. The rest of us can find an apartment in another part of the city if the situation is really that bad. **

"Genius girl comes through for us again," I muttered as the rest of the girls gather around to read what she wrote. "Lina's right, though I hate to admit it in this case. If we don't want to stand out too much and be caught, we're going to have to split up for a little while. Maybe even go as far as to avoid going out in public for a couple of weeks for anything other than necessities."

We all nodded and started planning. By the time we left the Crown two hours later we had most of it laid out. Miki would go with Raina to her Uncle Reiki's dojo in the south of the city, while Rikku, Lina and myself would go to the northeast of the city and try to find something cheap to rent up there. With the subway system, getting around shouldn't be too much of an issue so long as the tunnel's shields held. The King of Earth, Endymion, gave the initial charge to technology developed by the Palace's R&D department after the debacle with the Dark Moon Family, and used the Earth's latent energy to generate shields around the cities and the transit systems that connected them. I knew the shields and tunnels well, they allowed me to loose many a pursuer in the tunnels, and had saved Lina's and my life more than once.

We made our way back to our apartment and entered the elevator. We needed to act fast if we wanted to stay out of trouble. We'll pack tonight and leave early tomorrow morning. As we got off and headed to our door, I started to note that none of us had uttered a sound since we had left the arcade. It made me wonder exactly what was going through the heads of the girls. After everything that we've been through, especially over the last two years, it would be the first time that we would be so far apart from each other.

When we got in we all collapsed into the two couches and the four beanbag chairs that were scattered in the TV area of the living room.

"So…" I started. "We pack tonight, go to sleep early, wake up at 6 in the morning, and head out. Lina said she's going to go out in a few minutes once she's made a list of stuff she needs to take and get us all cell phones so that we could keep in touch. She is, of course, going to fix them for us when she gets them. Don't use these cell phones for anything other than to communicate with each other. Remember that the Crown and the Moon Plaza Subway station are our two emergency meeting places should something happen. Any questions?"

There was silence before Miki spoke up. "Will our phones have text messaging and mobile web?"

I rolled my eyes. "Miki-chan, this is Lina we're talking about. Of course they'll have text messaging and mobile web! Just remember not to drain your battery downloading ring tones and you'll be all right."

No one else spoke up after that. Lina went to her shared room to get one of her many gadgets or cables and was soon off to get the phones while Raina prepared a simple dinner. Three hours later, and they were fed and fooling around with their new phones. Rikku's was, of course, red and orange. Raina's was forest green, Miki's was sunburst yellow, Lina's was teal, and mines is purple.

"Girls," I spoke up. "It's starting to get late. We should start packing and go to sleep."

I got up before they could say anything and headed off. I didn't want them to look at the worry in my eyes quite just yet. As soon as I close the door to my room, the tears finally start rolling down my eyes. 'So this is what its like to let go of a home,' I thought as I pull out a military duffle bag and start packing light summer clothing. No dresses, just shirts, shorts, jeans, pants and other basic necessities. As I grabbed my diary to pack it in with the rest of my stuff, I suddenly remembered that I had an entry to finish. I grabbed my pen and kept going where I left off.

_After meeting up at the arcade and explaining the situation, Lina suggested that we split up for the summer. 2 of us are going to the studio and the rest of us will go north. Not exactly how I envisioned my vacation, but it's better than being stuck in some home. We have to bail before the cops take an unhealthy interest in this area. Hopefully they won't linger for too long. I can still remember the last cop to try to chase me down. I swear to the gods, Crystal Tokyo has more crooked cops on its force than a delegation has crooked politicians! Speaking of Lina, she got us all cell phones and hacked them to work anywhere free of charge, so we should at least have communication between us all. Well, I need to finish packing. Hopefully, the next entry I write will be a bit on the brighter side._

_Love, Basara Serina_

I closed my diary and put my pen in it's placeholder before putting everything into the bag and folding it closed over the loop of metal. I clasped it shut and set it aside before getting ready for bed. Its going to be another early morning tomorrow, I know I'm going to need all the sleep I can get. I put on my pajamas of lavender silk, turn off my lights and tucked myself into bed. I sighed as I started to drift off. 'My last night at home… why does it feel like I won't be seeing this place for a long time?'

To Be Continued…

A/N: So I went ahead and I took out all WoW references from the chapter. I did so because after rereading the story I felt that it just gave it too much unnecessary filler, something that this story can do without. I'll be giving the existing chapters the same treatment.

Once again, if you see any mistakes that I've made, please remember that, again, I don't have much experience writing SM fics and I'm bumbling and tumbling along on my own. While I can catch the majority of my spelling and grammar errors, I don't always catch everything, even after pre-reading. If anyone sees any room for improvement, please, feel free to point it out, at this point I can use all the help I can get if I want to make this fic into the monster that I think it can become. :D

Next chapter is where the fun begins. Heheheh…


	3. 02: Little Ms Trouble

-1_Pre-Notes – It's taken me a bit longer, but I've finally managed to progress into the 2__nd__ chapter of the story. Please note again that due to the chaotic nature of my current life that updates will be irregular, but I will try to get at least one chapter out every two to three weeks. It's a goal that I'm setting so that I don't loose focus on this story. On another note, it's snowing in Georgia!_

"Xxx" is talking.

'Xxx' is thinking.

_Xxx_ is writing or dreaming.

**Xxx** is electronic text.

_Chapter Summary: The gang executes the plan, but Serena, Lina, and Rikku run into trouble. This is the chapter where the fun starts. Most, if not all of this chapter, is going to be again in the first-person POV with a third-person interlude here and there when appropriate. With the way this story is spreading out, it seems to me like this will be the formatting that I use for the remainder of the story, as it seems to fit. Anyway, I've rambled on long enough. Enjoy the chapter._

Chapter 2: Little Ms. Trouble

_'So... this is what it feels like to die...'_

_'Rini...'_

I awoke with a start before moaning and rubbing my eyes. The damn dream came again. It's the same one I've had for some time: me in a forest, this huge light show of neon lights and what felt like my life being sucked right out of me. Tonight's rendition was different though, I actually heard a voice this time. 'She sounded familiar, like I'd met her before... she even called my name.' I look at my clock. 5:06am. Good, I had some time.

I dig through my bag until I find my diary and start writing, fearing that I'll forget all about it later on in the day, and start a new entry for the day.

_15/06/957 NSM_

_Dear Diary_

_It's 5:06am as I start this new entry. I had another one of 'the dreams', but this one was slightly different for some reason. I actually heard a voice this time. I can't say why, but I feel that it's familiar, almost as if I'd heard it sometime before. It said "So this is what it feels like to die." Not only that, but the voice called out my name. It felt like it was almost pleading with me for something, but exactly what I just don't know. I'll have to think more on it later._

I stopped writing and put my diary away again. It was short, but precise in what I experienced with the dream. I often wrote about it whenever I had it, as a means of trying to preserve it. I always felt that that particular dream held some sort of important meaning. I could never really tell why, it was more of a gut feeling, and since more often than not it was my gut feeling that kept me and Lina out of trouble I had learned to pay attention to it whenever it told me something, whether it was avoiding a certain street, helping a certain individual, or writing about obscure and seemingly innocent dreams in my diary. Tonight's dream proved that I had been right though: it seemed as if that dream I've been having for the last two years hadn't been as innocent as I thought they were. They had started only a bit after the girls and I started living together as one big happy family for the first time.

I shook the remaining thoughts and sleepiness out of my head and got up. There was a lot of work to be done.

0-0-0-0

The Moon Plaza Subway Station was packed as usual, people going about their business. I notice that the crowd is tenser than usual. 'Crap, there must have been some attack sometime today or something. The crowds around here shouldn't be this tense, especially with this station being so damn close to the Crystal Palace.'

The girls and I had split up two stations ago. The dojo in southern Crystal Tokyo was closed for renovations it seemed, so Raina and Miki decided to stay at the dojo in the western district. I motioned to Lina and Rikku to follow me. We needed to switch trains here if we wanted to go further north.

I glanced around as was habit and noticed that something was off. I look a little closer and notice that a lot of people that we were walking by were giving us odd glances. Something was amiss. I walk next to Lina and whisper to her "Lina-chan, there's something going on and I don't know what. People are starting to give us odd looks. Keep an eye out and be careful."

She nodded and walked a bit straighter, adjusting her green computer bag on her shoulder and shuffled her backpack a bit before looking for the source of the disquiet around us. I glanced at my watch. The next train due north wasn't going to be here for another ten minutes, so we had a bit of time to relax, or so I thought. I knew something was definitely wrong when I heard a raspy voice suddenly curse. My eyes must have nearly popped out of their sockets when I heard Lina speak the obscenity out loud for what had to be the first time in months. I looked at her and she pointed at a wall. I followed her view and cursed as I saw the four Missing Children posters. Someone was looking for us, and they were going through a lot of trouble to find little us.

"Shit, this complicates things," I muttered. "Ok, new plan. I'm going up top and try to draw the crowd towards me since from what I can tell I'm the most recognizable one. Lina, you know these tunnels well enough to be able to make it on your own, so take off and lay low until you feel its safe to go out. Rikku, stay and wait for the train, but try to stay out of sight if you can, and for the love of the Kami, don't burn anything unless it's a last resort."

I shifted my bag over my shoulder. "I'll try to contact you guys once I'm safe," I said. I start to walk towards the exit when Lina grabs my hand and stops me.

"… be careful," she mutters, looking me in the eye. I nod my head, give her a brief hug, and start for the stairs on the other side of the station. Damnit, I knew I should have taken a hat with me. I sift through my back jean pockets and pull out a folded bandana that I kept there in case of situation like these. I paused while I tied it over my head, leaving enough room to let my ponytail escape it's confines. My hair is almost a dead give-away as it is. At least with the bandana in place, I'll be a bit more inconspicuous.

I finally made it up top without much problems. The Crystal Palace can be seen a bit to the east. The Palace looked huge from here, I dully noted. I didn't often venture topside of Moon Plaza station, mostly due to the increased number of officers, not to mention that the shopping plaza around was a popular spot for Palace guards. Being around so many potential government lackeys always made me slightly nervous.

I keep my head low as I walk along the sidewalks. I need to find a place to loiter around for a bit. Correct that - first I need to do something about my damn hair, THEN I need to find a place to hang out. 'Hmmm… maybe I should get it cut somewhat, maybe make it shoulder length rather than keeping down to my waist… nah, it took me way to long to get it this long…' My eyes wander around, looking for inspiration. Finally they settle down on a billboard. Neo-Queen Serenity was displayed there. Apparently she was scheduled to make an appearance at some charity event or another in three weeks and they were advertising it all over the place. I rolled my eyes. Politicians. Ugh! That's when inspiration hit as I started to look at the Queen's hairstyle in a new light. Eureka!

I wander around the plaza, stopping by an ATM machine to withdraw some money, and eventually find what I'm looking for - a hair salon. I walk in and notice that for it being at the Moon Plaza, it was surprisingly empty. The elderly receptionist looked up and smiled warmly. "Welcome to Beauty Works! How can we help you sweetheart?" she asked, apparently happy to see me. I smiled.

"I need a new hairstyle, I'm a bit sick of my ponytail," I said, taking off my bandana.

"I see. Anything in particular that you had in mind?" she asked me, smile on her face. "I must say your hair looks very nice, and so long too."

"Yeah. Originally I was considering just cutting it, but I worked too hard to grow it this long. Then when I was looking around I noticed a billboard of Neo-Queen Serenity and thought 'Well why not?'."

"Ah, so you want the Queen's pigtails then?" the receptionist pondered on it for a bit. "I don't know if that will work, the Queen's pigtails are rather unique to her, they don't really work that well on too many people…" She narrowed her eyes at me for a bit before she snapped her fingers. "I got it! I seem to remember that the late Princess, the Queen's deceased daughter, had a very similar hairstyle to her mother's. With your hair… yes, I think this could work! Especially with how similar you look to the late Princess."

She went to the back and shouted for someone. After a few minutes she came back out with another elderly woman in tow. I rubbed my eyes and looked at the pair. They looked exactly the same. They grinned at her. "Miss, meet my twin sister Nodoka. No-chan, this is your newest client."

"Nice to meet you ma'am. My name's Serena, but you can call me Rini," I said with a grin as I bow slightly and shake her hand in greeting.

"What a nice name," said Nodoka. "I'll take it from here Kimiko-chan. Right this way Rini."

"Thank you ma'am. Has your sister told you what I want?"

"She has, and please, I insist you call me Auntie."

0-0-0-0

"I knew I should have stayed at the Palace," muttered Hotaru as she walked down the street, aware of the stares that she got. She didn't blame them for staring, she did look a bit out of place, with her excessively pale skin and her purple eyes reflecting the coldness that she felt practically all the time now. 'What the hell possessed me to come out here anyway?' she wondered.

"It's not healthy for you to live exclusively at the castle Hotaru-chan, and caving yourself in your apartment isn't my idea of 'going out' either!" said the annoying pest on her shoulder. 'Oh yeah, I remember now. Diana no baka…' "for the last 17 years you've either locked yourself up in your apartment, the Palace or on Titan Castle. You need to interact with society every now and again Hotaru-chan. Chibiusa wouldn't want you to mope around because of her."

"I wouldn't know what Chibiusa would want because she's dead," replied Hotaru in an exasperated yet sad voice. Hotaru had been in mourning ever since she felt her best and closest friend pass into the great beyond 17 years ago.

After delivering the letter that Chibiusa had written to Neo-Queen Serenity, Diana had rarely been seen at the palace. Most of the time she spent out on the streets of Crystal Tokyo. The few times she stayed at the palace it had been with Hotaru whenever she was there. She had confided in her the reason as to why Chibiusa had done what she did, and for almost an entire year had to keep talking Hotaru out of destroying the Earth in a hand of vengeance. Once Hotaru had calmed down, she became Diana's silent support, her eyes and ears in the Crystal Palace. Just as Hotaru had been Chibiusa's confident and support when she was trying to break free of her bond to her mother, so to did she become Diana's confident, acting as Diana's 'standing charge' until they could find Chibiusa's reincarnation.

"Exactly what are we looking for in the Plaza right now Diana?" asked Hotaru in a whisper. "I'm not exactly feeling comfortable around all of these people."

"I don't know exactly, but I had a strong feeling earlier today that this is where I needed to be," replied Diana. "It was almost as if something was drawing me here. I'd never felt something like that before, so I thought it prudent to bring back-up along and you're the only one I can truly trust right now to not go directly to the Queen."

"I doubt that Chibiusa would want her master plan divulged like that," muttered Hotaru with a sad smile. A comfortable silence hung between them after that, each of them lost in memories of their beloved friend.

"Well," said Diana, "I think we should go get something to eat. I don't know how long we'll be here in the plaza for."

Together, they wandered about until they found a small café with a video game shop on one side and a hair salon on the other.

0-0-0-0

"Um… I don't know about this…" I muttered as I looked at myself in the mirror.

"Nonsense dear, I think it looks splendid!" exclaimed Nodoka. I looked with a critical eye at the twin-pointed buns on my head. They almost looked like Bunny ears for heaven's sake!

"Well, I can kinda see the 'kawaii' factor in it, and I can definitely see myself playing turn-tables and dj-ing with them, but I can't see myself wearing this look while I play my guitar…" I muttered to myself, loud enough so that Nodoka can hear what I'm saying but low enough to keep the other hair stylists from hearing. My musical talent is one that I've successfully kept hidden from everyone, even Lina-chan, if only because there was never enough room in our apartment for me to be able to keep any equipment of my own. Not to mention the fact that the girls would bug me to play for them all the time. "… I guess making the buns is easy enough to do in front of a mirror…"

"All it takes is a little practice, dear. If you want, I can write down the instructions on a piece of paper and you can practice making them at home. It's really all in the twist and fold, and it keeps itself together like that," she said as she brushed the left stream of hair down to take the tangles out.

"That would definitely be helpful," I said with a grateful smile. "In that case I'm more than satisfied, I doubt even my friends will be able to recognize me right away. That brush feels nice too." What can I say, I was never really into brushing my hair seriously enough to try different brushes.

"The bristles are made of a relatively new synthetic material. I believe it's been out in the market for the last 5 or so years. They're tough enough to brush out practically any tangle, but gentle enough that it massages the scalp more so than actually scraping it. That level of comfort tends to transfer to general brushing, so that's probably why it feels so different," explained the enthusiastic hair stylist.

"Wow, now I know what to get Miki-chan for her birthday," I said with a small smile on my face.

The conversation drifts from there to general gossip and a bit into politics before I'm done. By the time I leave the shop I got a new look, a bag with 5 hair brushes, and a silly grin on my face. I almost felt like a new girl! I figure that I should be safe enough now to go back into the Underground, so I go ahead and pull out my phone and start texting Lina as I walked.

**Hey, I'm alright, got a new look so I should be harder to spot, I'm heading north now and should be at the Northwest station in about 45min. I'll try to call you-**

"OOOMPH!!" Seems like I can't text and walk at the same time. Go figure. "Itaii itaii itaii…" I felt for my head to the nice bump that was forming up. "Gomenasai, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," I muttered apology before I look up.

Violet eyes. That was the first thing I noticed about her. Just one glance showed a coldness within them, along with something else. To this day I swear that if I ever remember a time when I felt like a deer caught in headlights it was then. Soon, my brain jolted back into action and I started to notice the rest of her. Somewhat short-ish black hair, incredibly pale skin to the point that I must have looked exceptionally dark while standing next to her. 'Wow…' was all I could put together.

"… it's ok, I should have been looking up myself," she muttered. Her voice sounded soft, almost angelic. I felt myself flush at the thought.

'C'mon Serena, put yourself together!' I thought to myself as I shook my head hard, trying to shake the cobwebs out. I jumped up and started to dust myself off. "Are you ok? No bumps, cuts, anything?" I asked before holding a hand out to help her up. It was then that I noticed that she was staring at me too. I blinked, waiting for her to finish analyzing me before I see a small blush creep onto her face. I smiled a bit at that. 'Kawaaaaaaii…'

"Sorry," she muttered as she took my offered hand. So it seemed like I wasn't the only one with a morbid curiosity. "I haven't seen you around here before, are you new?" she asked in her small voice.

"Kinda," I said. I consider telling her I grew up in West Tokyo, but considering where I was, I decided against it. "I've been spending most of my time now-a-days in Southern Tokyo, but I'm moving up north for the summer. I don't normally come to this part of town, it's only a stop for me I'm afraid," I tell her. "You here on business or pleasure?"

She blinked at me again. "A bit of both actually," she replied. I can see a brief flash of color enter her cheeks before she went on. "I work over at the castle most of the time, and come out here sometimes when I get a bit of free time."

"Oh wow, that must be nice," I said, forcing myself to keep my smile. I REALLY didn't like government officials, but I'm a pretty good judge of character, and something told me that she'd be alright. "I've never met anyone who works at the castle! Do you live there too?"

"Sometimes, but only whenever there's something big going on and the Queen calls for all staff to be on hand for extended periods. Otherwise I have my own little place up north that I stay at," she said. Oh wow, now THAT makes me raise an eyebrow.

"So you live in North Tokyo too? Wow, what a coincidence! I'm spending my summer up there. Maybe we can be friends?" I asked with a grin. I typically had hunches about what kind of girls would be 'up for a bit of fun', and while I wasn't getting that exact hunch from her I find that I can't really help but feel drawn to her. The fact that she has a cute smile doesn't hurt much either.

"I think I'd like that," she said, her smile getting a bit wider. "I don't have many friends, except Diana-chan here," she motions to the cat in her arms.

"Oooh kawaaaaaii…" I said as I bent down to take a closer look at her little friend. The cat was staring at me with wide eyes, and if I didn't know any better I'd say she was shocked to see me! "If you aren't the cutest little thing I've ever seen!" My grin was starting to hurt my face. It seems I'd made two friends today, rather than one. "And you have the cutest little crescent moon on your head! Is she a palace cat? I've only ever heard of the cats at the palace having crescent moons like that."

"Yes, she was a gift. Diana-chan and I have been through a lot over the years," she said.

I smiled. "I've always wanted a cat, but I never had the room for one," I muttered as I petted her. She closed her eyes and started purring up a storm, leaning her head into my hand. I feel a giggle escape and knew I had found a friend in both cat and master.

"Well, I gotta get going, I'm meeting some friends up north in order to get settled in. Maybe I'll see you around?" I asked.

"Sure, I'll definitely keep an eye out for you," she said, her voice revealing the enthusiasm she was feeling. "I'm Hotaru, by the way. Tomoe Hotaru."

"Basara Serena, at your service," I said, bowing down in an exaggerated manner. "But all my friends call me Rini-chan!" I said with a big, wide grin. "Well, gotta go, ja ne!" I said before heading towards the Underground. A new look, a small gift for the girls, and I made a new friend to top it all off. 'Wow, this day went from gloomy to awesome! I hope I see her again, I can't wait to introduce her to the girls.'

0-0-0-0

Hotaru must have stood there for a good five minutes after Serena's departure before Diana dug her claws into her arms to grab her attention.

"Diana-chan…"

"I know, I can't believe it either…" muttered the young Mao.

"Serena-san… I like that name," murmured Hotaru. "It suits her well, I think."

"She said she was going to be spending the summer in North Tokyo," commented Diana. "Now that we know where she will be, we can keep track of her and see about trying to awaken-"

"No."

"Nani!?" Diana looked at Hotaru with an incredulous face.

"I said no Diana. She killed herself running from her old life. I do not want her awakened unless it's an absolute necessity," said Hotaru, a cold glint in her eyes.

Diana shook her head. "Gomen Hotaru-chan, but I'm afraid that I don't have a choice. Small Lady's last wish was to be reawakened in her new life once she was found. I'm afraid that in this case, her orders precede yours."

Hotaru sighed and closed her eyes. Her shoulders seemed to slump down and her head seemed to sag. "It's not fair Diana-chan. She seemed so happy… it's not fair to her to dump the crap of her past life on her when it's not needed."

"She's not as happy as she appears Hotaru," said Diana.

"What do you mean?" asked Hotaru as she stared at the cat like she was mad.

"It was her eyes Hotaru," said Diana in a sad voice. "She had eyes that almost seemed colder than your own." She sniffled a bit and for the first time, Hotaru noticed that she was crying. "Her eyes looked so haunted…"

Hotaru hugged the cat in comfort and stared at the entrance to the Underground which lied close by. 'Chibiusa… what's happened to you in this life… what have you been through as Serena that pains you so…'

"Lets go back to the palace Diana-chan," she said as she turned around and headed to her destination. "We have one more night left at the palace before we're free to go back to our apartment. We'll start searching for her then."

There was a noticeable spring in her step this time, a small smile slowly forming on her face.

'My friend… she's finally back.'

To Be Continued…

_A/N: Well, this one is a good bit shorter than my last two chapters, but it felt like a good place to leave it, considering this was mostly a set-up chapter with a bit of suspense into it. I'll try to make the next chapter a bit longer. So far the story seems to be moving along, and I already got a bit of an idea as to where I want this story to go. This means I'll actually be able to make an outline to follow and use as a guide once I get myself situated enough to slap it together. I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible. Again, don't be afraid to pop a review, I can use the advice and tips. Till next time folks! _


	4. 03: Caught

_Pre-Notes: Sup gang! It's been a while, I know, but I have not been procrastinating like I'm sure most of you are probably thinking. I've been working on a synopsis for the story, so I could have something a bit more solid to work with rather than just dream it up as I go. So far I have up to Chapter 7 planned out and am expanding the synopsis as I go. The story is shaping out pretty well so far in my honest opinion. Right now my biggest struggle is around chapter 5 and 6, which is more or less where I'm planning on introducing the rest of the Neo Senshi. I'll have it worked out soon, I'm sure. In any case, here's the third chapter, enjoy!_

"Xxx" is talking.

'Xxx' is thinking.

_Xxx_ is writing and/or dream sequences.

**Xxx** is typed text.

Chapter 03: Caught

'Wow, she was a cutie!' I thought as I waited for the train to reach the last station. 'I hope that wasn't the last time I see her again.' As far as I can remember I can't quite tell whether I had ever seen a cuter expression on anyone's face before. The way she acted was almost a mix between minx, shy school girl, and close friend all rolled up in one. 'Ah well, no sense in scaring her off by hitting on her. I'll try to be a friend if I ever see her again, flirting can come later if she's up to it.' I giggle at the thought of 'Shy School Girl Hotaru' trying to flirt with her.

*Ping!* "Now approaching North Tokyo Station, I repeat, now approaching North Tokyo Station. This will be our last stop, please gather all of your personal belongings before exiting the train. On behalf of us all, thank you for riding the Tokyo Underground, and have a nice day." Seems like my stop was coming up! I get up and stretch a bit before I grab my bags and head to the door.

As soon as the doors open and I step off I immediately start looking around. I had finished the text message that I had started before bumping into Hotaru and was hopeful that the girls beat me to the station. I really did not want to be waiting around for too long, we still need to go find an apartment to stay at for the next few months, not to mention find a mall for furnishing the place.

"Rini-chan!" Looks like Rikku found me. I brace myself for impact just in time to catch her as she tries to strangle me to death with both arms and legs. I send a pleading look at Lina but she just stands there, looking amused. Damn traitor…

"What's with the hair, Rini-chan? Not that it doesn't look kawaii but you never really wore it out of your pony tail before," said Rikku, her voice in awe as she ran her fingers through one of my pigtails.

I managed to pry Rikku off of me just in time to notice the crowd staring at the commotion, so I grabbed her by the hand and lead my girls away from the Underground and into the relative safety of the anonymity that's Tokyo. To this day I swear that Crystal Tokyo is the most crowded city in the world, no matter what part of the city you're at. "I changed it out of necessity Rikku-chan, I needed to do at least that much to look a little different from the posters that they had up in the Underground." What WAS up with those posters, anyway? That was the first time I had ever seen someone actively look for us to the point of posting posters for the general public. I shuddered at the thought, and instead of dwelling on it further, I decided to just change the subject. "So, do we have a general location of where we're going to stay at, Lina-chan?" I asked, eager to get the ball rolling. Not to mention the fact that it would soon get dark.

She nodded her head and took the lead, we walked down a few blocks west of the Underground entrance before cutting a right. She pointed towards a few buildings down the blocks, apartment complexes by the looks of it. I walked down the street, looking at the different complexes before my eyes set on one of them. It was a bit smaller than the rest, only five stories high, and looked only slightly more run down than the other ones but it still seemed to be in pretty good condition.

"This is the one," I said. "From the looks of things, it seems to be the cheapest out of the lot here. Lets go in and ask, and if it's in bad condition inside or if the rent is too much then we'll try one of the other buildings."

We walked into the main office building and took a look around. It didn't seem too bad, the paint wasn't pealing off the walls at least. There were desks at the different corners of the room and a couple of adjacent rooms off to the far side, probably meeting rooms of some sort. A short while later a woman walked out of one of the adjacent offices and looked towards us. "Good evening ladies, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes please," I said, trying to sound as polite as possible. "My sisters and I are looking for rooms. We wish to inquire as to how much you charge for rent."

"Well, that would depend on the different rooms. We have 3 styles of rooms, the studio, the 1 bedroom, and the 2 bedroom models. I can show you the lay-out for all three styles if you wish. Typical rent is 15,000 yen for the studios, 20,000 yen for the 1 bedroom models, and 25,000 yen for the 2 bedroom models."

'Wow…' was all I thought. "Can you give us a second to discuss things?" "Sure, take all the time you need," she responded with a warm smile. "I'll be over here at my desk when you finish."

We huddled up as the lady went over to her desk to work on some paperwork. "What do you think Lina?" I said in a low voice, not quite a whisper but low enough to stay private. "I the rent for our 3 bedroom was about 27,000 yen, wasn't it?"

I saw her scribble down on her little notebook for a few seconds before she handed it to me to read. _It's not a bad deal at all. If we can make due with the studios, we'll be able to rent one room for each of us with only minor adjustments to our account. I might wind up having to hack out another account or two if we need additional funds, but it shouldn't be too much of an issue so long as I keep things low-key. We might even be able to get studios for Raina and Miki if they decide to join us later this summer._

Now that caught my attention. Our own apartments? "Are you sure you can do this without getting caught though? You were the one who always said that you can only move around so much money without anyone inside the system catching on," I asked. Ho-boy, I did it now. Lina NEVER gives me the stink eye. Guess I was looking for it though, if there's one thing Lina takes more seriously than anything in the world, it's her skills as a computer hacker.

Making up my mind, I went up to the lady. She looked up and smiled her 'I want your business' smile and asked, "Have your sisters and you reached a decision?"

"Yes, my sisters and I decided that we'll go ahead with 3 studios if you have them available, preferably either close to or next to each other," I said.

"As a matter of fact, we have 3 available on the fifth floor of this building. I can show you now if you want."

The tour of the rooms didn't take too long since they were basically the same model. It basically consisted of a room with a kitchen attached to it, a walk-in closet, and a bathroom. All three of them had balconies too, with the city outskirts in view.

Once we went back down to the office, we gave the down-payment and security deposit for the three rooms. The lady explained that they had their own private parking spaces for their rooms in the adjacent parking garage. I had absolutely no idea that places like these even HAD their own parking garages. Apparently, each floor of the parking garage coincided with the floor of our rooms, and we each had 4 parking spots per room - 2 private parking spaces, and two visitor parking spaces. Knowing how expensive parking in Crystal Tokyo can be, I can see why this apartment complex made money. Cheap rooms plus decent parking made for some happy tenants so long as things were in order. I just hope I don't wind up with a leaky faucet or some other inconvenience.

We get our keys and go to our rooms to check them out. They're in good condition, surprisingly enough. They both came furnished with basic furniture, they all had a long sofa-bed, a microwave, and a fridge. After confirming that they had the same, I told the girls to get a good nights rest, that tomorrow we were gonna go out to the nearest mall to finish furnishing the rooms. As I sat down that night, I decided that I should record the day in my Diary. It wasn't everyday you found yourself a jewel of a place like this.

I open my Diary and find the place where I left off from this morning, reading over what I had written about the strange dream I had had. Strange, I had almost forgotten about it.

_Dear Diary,_

_It's now 8:56pm, and I'm sitting in my new room in North Crystal Tokyo. It's a studio apartment, so it has no rooms but it came with its own sofa-bed and everything, a walk-in closet, and a balcony with an awesome view of the city. I even have my own kitchen! I might wind up trying to convince Lina to see if we can just let the old apartment go and stay here. As much as I'm tied to the old apartment because of the sentimental value it holds for us, this set-up is just too good to let slip up. The rent is tons cheaper here, to the point where Lina can actually hack open a bank account for each of us in addition to the one that we have right now. We'll have to play it careful though, we really don't want to get caught up with the law over this, or all of this will have been for nothing. I'm sure Lina can cover our tracks well enough, but I still get nervous whenever she has to do any kind of hacking, it almost seems too easy for her how she can get away with things that would put a normal person in jail for life._

_I also forgot to mention my new friend too! I had wandered up from the station to try to lay low and managed to find a hair salon nearby. I decided to go for a new hairstyle to try to hide my more obvious looks from the idiot cops, so I went in. When I came out I bumped into her making my way back to the station. Her name is Hotaru, and she has got to be the cutest thing I have seen in a long time. She works at the Crystal Palace, I'm guessing as some sort of maid or servant from the looks of things. If I wasn't concerned about turning her away I would have probably flirted her into the ground! She seemed so shy though, I don't know if that's just how she is or if she's just that way around me. She said that she lives in North Tokyo though, so I'm hoping that I'll see her again sometime. Maybe we'll run into each other at the mall? Anyway, more about her, she's about my height, neck-long black hair, and the most intense set of purple eyes. I'm almost afraid to look into them for fear of loosing myself in their intensity. If she turns out to be like me, I'm so totally gonna go for it. Hehe, down girl! Hotaru also has the cutest little kitten I've ever seen. Her name is Diana, and she's has the cutest little crescent moon on her forehead. I'm guessing she's a palace cat, like the one that the Queen and her head of security have. Rumor has it that they can even talk!_

_Anyway, that was my day. Wow, I'm writing more and more in you now-a-days it seems! I guess this will be as good a place as any to end this entry. Hopefully, tomorrow won't be as 'eventful' as today was, though I guess some good DID come out of it._

_Love, _

_Basara Serena_

I closed my Diary and pulled out the sofa mattress from the sofa. As I laid down, I silently wondered if I'd have any more strange dreams that night. Hopefully not, I need some actual sleep tonight damnit!

0-0-0-0

_The forest was spinning. A spiral of multicolored lights danced around her, reflecting off of the surface of the small lake as she levitated a bit off the floor. She seemed to be in a trance of sorts, her eyes glowing an iridescent pink. She looked familiar, too, her hairstyle is almost the same as the one I had gotten earlier, only her hair was much longer than mines. I start walking towards her, but stop suddenly as she quickly turns to face me. I stare at her in shock. It's almost like I was looking into a mirror! I was looking at myself!_

"_Soon, Rini," she said to me. "You will be needed soon. You need to awaken your powers."_

_I was about to ask what 'powers' she was talking about when the dancing lights reached their climax and her body started to fade along with the forest and the lake._

'_So… this is what it feels like to die…'_

'_Rini…'_

I wake up with a start, gasping for breath and drenched in sweat. I sit up in my bed, trying to slow down my beating heart. That last dream was way more intense than it had ever been. It was crystal clear, and I could remember every single part of it. The absolute worst part of it though was that the mystery voice turned out to be either myself or someone who looks so alike to me that she could be my twin.

'She said I needed to awaken my powers…' I thought as I swung myself over the edge of the bed and just sat there, shivering from shock and from the cold of the apartment. 'What the hell did she mean by THAT!' I thought back, to another strange happening that had occurred to me, one that I REALLY didn't like to visit. 'Could she probably be referring to the Monsters? I still don't understand what completely happened with me down there, and a lot of it is still blocked out…'

I reach over to my phone and look for the time. '4am… too damn early to be awake…' I get up, chug down a glass of water, and go back to bed. Hopefully, the rest of the evening won't be so eventful.

I lay back down and try to sleep, but I just can't find a comfortable position. I keep tossing and turning Finally, I get frustrated and, taking my losses, I get out of bed. I strip myself of my pj's and my panties and hop into the small shower. I let it run cold and let the freezing water help to wake up the rest of my mind and body.

A while later I'm outside on the balcony watching the sunrise while sipping a warm cup of tea. I can't help but wonder as the sky starts to glow with the ethereal colors of the sun if the dream I had earlier today was a premonition as to how the day was going to go. I shudder at the thought. I just want some peace and quiet, maybe go do some shopping to finish furnishing my place.

A bit after the sun had arisen I go back inside and go through my bag, trying to find what to wear for today. After a few minutes I settled for a pair of cargo pants and a black shirt with graffiti all over it. I look at my cell phone and see that it's only 8 in the morning. I have about an hour before all the good shops are open, so I decide to head out and find myself some breakfast. I go ahead and grab my grey denim jacket and step out of my apartment and start heading for the elevator while texting Lina to let her know that I was out.

**Lina, gone out to eat, meet mall noon 4 sho-**

"OOMPH!!!" and next thing I know I'm on the ground with a sore bum and a bump forming on my head. "Itaii…"

"You sure like bumping into people it seems," grumbled the person across from me. I look over and am simply astonished at who it was.

"Ho-Hotaru-chan?! What are you doing here?" I pause. "You didn't follow me here, did you?" I asked her, wiggling my eyebrows at her. She lets out a small giggle and a little grin.

"As a matter of fact, I live here," she replied. My jaw literally dropped when I heard this.

"Are you kidding?! I just moved here yesterday!" I exclaimed, and this time it was her turn to raise the eyebrows.

"No way! What room are you in?"

"5-C, and two of my sisters are next to me in 5-A and 5-B," I explained as I got up and dusted myself off.

"Oh wow, we're practically neighbors then, I live in 5-F, the last room on this floor," she said with a smile. "I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other then," she said.

Now I'm really excited, my new friend turns out to be my neighbor, who'd thought of that.

"Well, enough with the gushy girly stuff, we'll have enough of that when I introduce you to the other girls. Oh, and fair warning, a couple of them are a bit weird, if not outright insane," I tell her with a maniacal gleam in my eyes.

"I see…" she mumbles with a huge sweat drop coming from the back of her head.

"I'm actually heading to the mall right now for some breakfast and to do some shopping for my apartment. You want to come?" I asked, employing liberal use of the 'Puppy Dog Eyes' technique to good effect. I can see her resistance crumbling away slowly.

"Eh… I don't know Rini-chan, I don't normally go out all that often…"

"Even more reason for you to come then! It's settled then, we're going shopping!" I exclaimed and grabbed her arm. We were off!

0-0-0-0

Four hours and what seems like forty stores later, I still haven't found much in terms of decoration. Hotaru was decent help for the little knick-knacks that we found, but her expertise revolved more around lamps and lighting, as I had later found out.

"Looks like we'll have to wait for Lina-chan to come and help out," I mumbled as I sat down on a bench to the side of our latest store.

"I don't think I've ever been to so many stores in such a shot amount of time," mumbled Hotaru next to me.

"Don't worry Hotaru-chan, after shopping around with Miki-chan and Rikku-chan you'll get used to it really fast, they're ten times worse than me," I said with an evil grin. Hotaru's face became even paler than normal at the thought of a faster paced shopping experience. "Oh, don't give me that look Hotaru-chan, shopping with my sisters is a right-of-passage in and of itself. We all had to go through with it at least once in our lifetime," I added, my grin getting even wider as Hotaru started looking around nervously.

Finally I couldn't hold it in any longer and started cracking up. Hotaru finally realizes what's going on and starts glaring at me. I try and finally succeed at calming myself down. "Sorry Hotaru, I just couldn't help myself, the look on your face was just priceless," I said, a fresh batch of giggles.

"Shut it you," she growled, a slight smile on her face now. "Lets grab something to eat, I'm starving!"

I look at my phone and notice that it's passed noon already. "Oh wow, is that the time?! No wonder I'm so hungry, with all the stores we've hit today we skipped breakfast!"

"All the more reason to make way for the food court then," said Hotaru as she got up. "C'mon, it'll be my treat, they have some excellent okonomiyaki here."

She had me at 'my treat'.

5 minutes later we're digging into a huge pork okonomiyaki each. She wasn't kidding, this stuff is really good! We're finished a few minutes later and for the next few minutes we have some idle chat over some shakes.

"So, what exactly do you do at the palace? I'm kinda curious since I've never actually met anyone that works there," I ask.

Hotaru pauses as she contemplates the question. 'That's weird, it's almost as if she's trying to decide what to tell me and how much to say, is her position in that place that important?' I wonder.

Finally, she answers. "I actually can't say much about what I do, since most of it is classified information, but I can say that I work in close proximity to a lot of high officials. I've even had to work with the Queen's Sailor Senshi a few times."

"I see… that must be interesting," I said with a neutral tone. To be honest, I REALLY don't like the Queen and her cohorts, they seem to be nothing but a bunch of petty politicians and those Senshi have way to much power for their own good, not that they use it the way they should. During the invasion of the planet Nemesis a few years back, the Senshi concentrated on protecting the center of Crystal Tokyo with a massive shield, but left the outskirts of the city to fend for themselves. The results divided the city into 5 separate sections - North, South, East, West, and Central. North and South Tokyo are more or less caught up with Central Tokyo as far as reparations and repopulation goes, and East Tokyo was making good progress. West Tokyo, though, took it the worst, and is now a crime ridden project overrun with gangs and tormented with monster attacks on an almost weekly basis. Attempts at reconstruction in that part of the city have been all but abandoned because of the hostility, and the worst part was that the Queen and her Senshi refused to do anything about it other than attempt to contain the problem, saying some bullshit about not wanting to divide their forces. I say bullshit, because with 7 Sailor Senshi they could cover plenty of ground and still have Senshi left-over!

I was about to comment on just that when all of a sudden a chill crept up my spine. My eyes narrowed: someone was watching us. I looked around and, for the first time in a very long time, I felt fear. The two cops that where at my school earlier this week on my last day where standing right behind me.

"Basara Serena," said one cop. "We need you to come with us."

To Be Continued…

_Author's Notes : It's about 1k words shorter than the other chapters, but it just felt right to leave it here. So wow, it's been a year since my last update! I didn't mean to wait so long, I swear! I've been busy with work doing overtime, trying to save up for a better car and another apartment that the time has just gone passed me and I didn't even notice. I promise I'll try to update more often! Again, if I miss anything in terms of lore, grammar, or punctuation, feel free to contact me at my email, ____. Till next time, I'll be watching you…_


	5. 04: Running From Yourself

_**Pre-Notes: Hello everyone, it's me again! I've been busy trying to rework the plot and found that with all the new ideas, including the new twist I've thought up for this chapter, that I have for this story it's most probably gonna span more than one story, maybe two or even three. Yeah, that's a lot more than I originally thought with this story, but I got this huge scene in my head involving Serena and Usagi (regular Usagi, not Chibiusa) that just doesn't fit into this story unless I make it over 60 chapters long, and that's too much even for me, so yeah, I'll probably split this huge idea between two or three stories so that I can have some time and space to spread this out as it needs to be. I've been enjoying the hell out of all these ideas and have had a lot of fun working them out in my head. Hopefully, they translate to paper decently enough that I'll have it workable over time.**_

_**Anyway, enough rambling, on with the story.**_

"**Xxx" is talking.**

'**Xxx' is thinking.**

_**Xxx**_** is writing and/or dream sequences.**

**Xxx** is typed text.

Chapter 4: Running From Yourself

I looked at the cops as if they where nuts. They should know by now that I wouldn't go without a fight, I've had way too much practice with these idiots to just go and submit myself to their every command. I glanced over to Hotaru with an apologetic face, before I grabbed the plates where our okonomiyaki once sat on and flung them at the cops, nailing them right in the face. With that one moment of distraction, I bought myself enough time to start running. I sprung up, sending my chair tumbling down in front of the cops and made a run for it. Lucky for me, the food court had it's own entrance, and I made a bee-line for it. Swinging the crystal door open I made a dash into the parking lot, weaving in and out between the vehicles in what I knew was a vain attempt to loose the cops. In reality, I just wanted to wear them down so I could loose them further up the path I was planning on taking.

I looked over my shoulders and saw that the two cops where keeping pace rather well. 'Great, these two appear to be in shape unlike the useless lumps I've ran into before!' I thought in dismay. This was going to take a while! I crossed the main road in front of the mall just as the traffic light changed in hopes that the incoming traffic would be enough to hold them at bay while I made some distance between us. Just as I hit the curb I looked over my shoulders again and nearly stopped to gape at these guys. They where jumping from car to car… while the cars where moving! These guys had to be superhuman to pull something like this off. I cursed at myself and started again double-time, desperate not to get caught. There was no way I was gonna risk myself going to another failure of an orphanage, nor was I gonna leave Lima and Rikku to fend for themselves either. I cut a left at the next corner and headed up the road before cutting into a nearby alley and started up the length of it. I followed it until it cut into another alleyway which I knew would lead to a wire fence. I jumped just as I reached it and made it half-way up the fence in one bound. Climbing the rest of the way, I dropped in time to see the two super-cops skid into view. Damn these guys where good! I knew that the fence wouldn't stop them, they where in too good shape to let something like that get between us, so I started running again just as they started for the fence. As I cut the corner I heard them land on the other side of the fence… but that can't be! I didn't even hear them climb it! My eyes widened as the obvious answer came to me - they somehow jumped the fence completely. Well, if they can jump from moving car to moving car just to keep up with me, I guess a stationary fence was nothing for them. I kept going…

Street after street, alleyway after alleyway passed before I realized that I wasn't gonna loose them in the city, they apparently knew this area too well and I was beginning to tire slightly while they didn't even seem winded. I looked around and saw that I was too far away from the nearest subway tunnel. If I made a break for it now, I would never make it before getting caught. With this in mind I started making a break for the city boundary. I knew the outskirts well enough to be able to loose them in the brush of the wild. I looked around as I rounded the next corner and saw to my astonishment my salvation. A man was attempting to get on his motorbike and was about to start it with his key! I ran up to him and gored him onto the floor. Wrestling the keys off of him was easy when he was lying there stunned and winded. I quickly saw which key was the appropriate one and started the bike just as the cops rounded the corner I revved it into gear and took off, just as the man I stole the bike from got up and started screaming at me. I sped off and started taking the corners and lights at speeds that would make even Rikku nervous. I didn't have time to think of that though, I needed to get out of there now!

The streets became slightly wider and the buildings fewer as I neared the outskirts of the city. Finally, I saw a sign up ahead marking the city limit and I knew I was home free. I nearly cried when I realized that I couldn't go back. They would be paying attention to the area now to see if I would return. It seems like they'll probably have East and South Tokyo under surveillance as well. That meant that if I had any hope of sneaking back into the city I'd have to go via the slums of West Tokyo… that meant running into _them_ again… accursed monsters of the underground. Beasts that prayed on the weak and sought to control those without power or a means to defend themselves. I ran into this gang of thugs before… the results of that meeting where non too stellar.

I arrived at a random brush and thought I had gone far enough. I veered off the main road and down into the brush. I slowed down and eventually came to a stop at a particular set of woods that seemed strangely isolated from the main road.

'What a strange forest…' I thought as I laid the motorcycle down and started covering it with leaves and brush to better hide it. Once that was done I started making my way deeper into this particular set of woods. I glanced around, making sure to keep my eyes constantly moving, on the look out for threats. I may have evaded the cops for now, but I was outside of the protection of the cities barriers now, and the wilds where rumored to be overrun with youma now. I had to be extra careful now not to attract any attention to myself lest I become food for some random creepy crawler.

Eventually the sound of running water caught my attention and I began to follow it. It was a rather calming sound, more so than what I've experienced in the past. It was hard to explain at that moment, but I felt more at peace listening to that sound than I had in a very long time…

A few minutes later I finally found the source of the sound as I broke into a clearing with a small pond, a little stream feeding into it keeping it level and fresh. The clearing surrounding it was nothing but pristine, almost as if protected my the very forces of magic that seemed drawn from the planet itself.

"It's beautiful…" I couldn't help but whisper as I looked around.

"It most certainly is…" came a whisper of a reply from somewhere in the clearing. I started and looked around in desperation, looking for the source of the voice. Had the cops found me?! A giggle seemed to float about, carried by the wind that seemed to pick up slightly. "Come to the hollow… all will be answered…"

"Who are you?" I asked, looking around and finding the hollow tree that the voice had pointed out. At least, I thought it was hollow. How could a tree still be alive and be hollow at the same time, I would never know, but by Selene that's what I though I was seeing as I made my way to the tree. Suddenly, a form appeared, sitting along the roots of the big tree. My eyes bulged as I saw who it was that was speaking to me. I had seen vague photo's of her in my text books at school and in some old newspapers in the libraries around South Tokyo, but this… spirit, for a lack of a better term, this ghost that had appeared before me almost looked like my mirror image! Suddenly, the familiarity of the voice hit me like a ton of bricks. "It's you… you're the one from my dream! The light, the feeling of dying… it was you!"

"Yes, it was me… and it was also you…" she replied.

I frowned at this. "That doesn't make any sense though, how could that be me as well if I'm still alive?" I asked.

She smiled… what a sad smile she had. It was as if she had forgotten what true joy was some time ago. "Allow me to introduce myself," she said, getting up and walking over towards me. She then curtsied in front of me and with a voice that dripped with humility, said "I am Neo-Princess Small Lady Serenity… you, however, can call me Usagi."

Though I already knew who she was, not just because of her outfit, but because of the crescent-shaped moon glowing on her forehead, that still didn't ease the shock I felt when I realized that I was talking to a dead princess. Why did royalty have to creep me out so much!?

"Ok… so tell me then Usagi-sama, how could that have been me if I'm still alive," I asked, cringing at myself for sounding sow submissive in my addressing this spirit. Even if she was the spirit of royalty, she was still a ghost!

"Please, no titles are necessary, just Usagi is fine. As to your question… well, there's no easy way of saying this Serena-chan, so I'll just come out and say it."

I froze. "How do you know my name?" I asked, my eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"The same way I know everything else that I do about you silly," she said, giggling slightly. "You're my reincarnation."

My jaw nearly dropped. Did I hear this spirit say what I thought it said? "Say what?"

"You're my reincarnation," she repeated. "I'm you and you're me."

I could feel a headache coming on. "That can't be possible…" I murmured as I sunk onto the ground, not trusting my feet to keep me up anymore. She had to be lying… I can't be some royal princess reincarnated, I'm just a punk street kid trying to survive! How can I be a princess?!

"It's true I'm afraid, as much as you dislike the Royal Family, you are royalty yourself. You get that dislike from me by the way… I was having problems with my mother before I passed away… I spent the better part of seven years trying to break my link with her and I resented her a lot for keeping me tied down the way she did."

"Wait a minute," I said, a thought crossing my head. "First off, what do you mean by this 'link', and second, how can I be your reincarnation if you're out of my body? If what you're saying is true, then your existence outside of me shouldn't be possible as you would be part of my soul…"

"The link my mother and I shared is the same link that is shared between my mother and her Senshi. Each of us have a crystal of our own, however, that crystal is tied to my mother's Imperial Silver Crystal as a form of bond between my mother and her Senshi. I spent over seven years trying to break that link between my mother and I before I finally worked out what I needed to do to sever it. The link between a Senshi and her queen or leader can only be broken through the leader willingly severing the link or through the death of either leader or Senshi. I broke the link between my mother and I permanently by evolving my crystal to a higher state, then channeling my entire being into that new crystal, effectively sealing myself within it. This is how I died, and how you where reborn."

As she explained the details to me, I kept getting brief flashes of my dreams. The blinding light, the feeling of life leaving me in a torrent of energy. I shuddered involuntarily as Usagi continued.

"As to your other question, well, normally that would be true," she said, a sudden sadness overcoming her. "However, you forget the nature of the union that brought about my existence. We're a child of two worlds Serena, born of this planet and it's moon. We are two halves that make up a whole. Without me, you are incomplete, and without you, I am incomplete. It is for this reason why we need each other."

"I don't need help from a ghost!" I exclaimed. What was she trying to pull? Was she going to try to bargain for my body? Maybe try to posses me?

"This planet is in danger Serena. I have felt the signs. Chaos stirs within the heart of man once again. Without you, this planet will be destroyed from within, and without my help, you will not be able to achieve the potential you need in order to save it," she said.

This was seriously starting to disturb me. Did she just try to convince me to help her save the world? "What if I don't want to help you? What if I told you that this planet isn't worth saving?"

She looked down, obviously grief-stricken by what I had said. If spirits could cry, she would probably be bawling her eyes out now. "I know you better than you know yourself Serena… I have all of your memories… I've seen your life, your hardships. I've seen you grow up in the streets, trying to protect your friend… I saw you fight back 7 years ago as you where… assaulted by that gang, I saw you kill them after they thought they had broken you. I have done my level best to protect you through everything but as long as we are separate, I cannot do much for you. I cannot help you like this. Your powers are incomplete Rini."

"What powers!?" I screamed. Tears where now running down my face as I was forced to recall every single event that she had mentioned. "If I had powers that wouldn't have happened to me!"

"But it did happen Rini… and you used your powers to retaliate… they thought you where broken… Terra isn't easily broken however, with the will of the planet coursing through your body you went and crushed them one by one until they where all dead," she said. It was true, I was in such a rage after I was raped that I had gone on to kill every one of them with my bare hands.

"That was just me though…" I said, shaking my head ad the absurdity of the idea. "That was just me fighting back, hand-to-hand…"

"The will of the planet guided your hands that night Rini," Usagi said. "The planet lent you it's strength so that you could crush those that had wronged you with your bare hands. Didn't you notice that you where stronger than normal that night Serena? Unusually strong?"

"That was just the adrenaline," I mumbled, shaking my head in denial. Yes, I had broken bones and necks with blows that would have normally only been strong enough to bruise or maybe even lay someone out. I had worked it off as the adrenaline pumping through me. I had heard stories of people being able to do incredible things with enough adrenaline going through their body, things that would normally be beyond the measure of the human body. It was such a traumatizing experience that I had just assumed it was that and moved on.

"When we where alive previously," Usagi said, "I was christened Neo-Sailor Moon, guardian of this planet's moon. That, however, was only half of the legacy left to me. Because of the nature of the union that resulted in my creation, I also had the blood of the Earth flowing through my veins. You now carry that blood Serena. For the first time in it's history, this planet now has a Senshi to defend it."

"Wait…" I said. "You're telling me I'm… what, Sailor Earth?"

"Your proper title would be Sailor Terra, but yes, you are a Sailor Senshi, one of the new generation of Senshi. However, that's not nearly enough to combat this threat," she said. "There is a darkness stirring within the planet, trying to consume it. Have you noticed the drop in temperature lately? How it's been colder than usual?"

Now that she mentioned it, it WAS fairly chilly for summer.

"There is something robbing the planet of it's heat. I'm fairly certain that there is something growing inside this planet's core. Before long, this entire planet will be devoured and there will be nothing left," she said. "Earth and Moon must be united before this happens. My mother will be of no help, she is no longer capable of becoming Eternal Sailor Moon, as far as I could tell when I was still alive."

"What are you saying then?" I asked.

"We must merge," she said. "Our souls must be united once again or else all will be in vein."

I looked up at her through my tears, astonished at the audacity of her proposal. "You're telling me that you want to merge your soul with mines? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR DAMNED MIND?! I won't share my soul with anyone I don't' know!"

"But you do know me…" she insisted. "I am you and you are me…"

"I'M MYSELF AND NO ONE ELSE!" I screeched. "I'M NOT LISTENING TO THIS! I WON'T LET YOU POSSES ME, YOU AND YOUR PLANET CAN GO TO HELL!" With that said, I ran out of the clearing, hoping to put as much space between myself and that spirit as I could, the tears still flowing down as I sobbed. Damn that ghost for making me so vulnerable! It was as if she had looked into the deepest, darkest corners of her mind and made her relive the worst moments of her life.

I stumbled along the woods till I tripped over something hard. I looked down to see a handle sticking out of the ground - the motorcycle! I brushed the leaves and dirt off it, hoping it still worked. I turned it on and the engine roared to life to my utmost relief. I shifted into gear and tore out of there like a bat out of hell. I made my way back to the main road and headed off again, even further from the city than I had previously planned on. I just wanted to get away. To get away from the dangers of the city, from the haunting words of the ghost, from everything that wanted to harm and hurt me.

After what seemed like hours of driving the bike finally started sputtering and shaking. I looked down and noticed I had run it dry of fuel, if I didn't get it to a charge station within the next few minutes, it would die on me. I looked around to see if I could find a spot to spend the night. I spotted another brush off in the distance and drove the sputtering bike there. I had just entered it when it finally died on me. It looked like I was on foot from now on. I dropped the bike and walked into the brush, reaching to my back pocket and taking out my butterfly knife and swinging the blade out. I really wish I had my hunting knife right now, while my butterfly was good against other humans, as it was if I ran into a youma out here this little blade would be little good against it.

I walked deeper, trying to find a source of water like I did in the other brush, but found it to be a useless effort. The sun was now finally down, night had fallen. Instead, I found a comfortable looking tree and, making sure it was uninhabited, settled in between the roots. There, against it's trunk, I fell asleep out of a bed and on the hard earth for the first time in two years.

0-0-0-0-0

The thirst was what awoke me a few hours later. It was still night time, and I was stiff as hell. Damn my body for getting soft on me in the 2 years of relative comfort. 'I'm made of tougher stuff than this damnit,' I thought as I pulled out my phone to see what time it was. It read 4:09am. Damnit, Lina was going to kill me. I look at the screen and, of course, see that I have no reception this far out of the city. No surprise there. I turned my phone off to conserve the battery on it. This little thing was the only thin I had on me to tell the time with, I needed to make it last. My stomach rumbled with hunger, I hadn't eaten anything since that okonomiyaki I had with Hotaru.

'Oh no…' I thought as she finally penetrated my thoughts. 'What will she think of me now? A hoodlum on the run from the cops? Will she even speak to me again?' That thought alone was almost enough to bring me to tears again. Finally, I find someone who I actually liked in a 'more-than-friendly' way, and I had to go and muck it up by getting caught by the police in front of her. 'And what of the girls? She lives right by them, what's to stop her from reporting the rest of them to the cops?' It was then that she realized her error - she had been careless. She had left herself much too open, much too vulnerable ever since she met Hotaru in Central Tokyo. That wasn't like her at all!

A rumble drew my attention and my hand went to pat my stomach in an attempt to calm it down when I realized exactly what I had heard. That last rumble was NOT my stomach. I crouched down and pulled my knife out as the terrifying realization hit me.

I was not alone in that brush.

To Be Continued…

_Author's Notes: Yeah, I know, lame, I may as well have made Rini an OC with the Sailor Terra angle, however, it is an important part of the plot for later on in the story and as such is a necessary evil. The idea of Chibiusa's ghost actually came to me in a dream I had (a very VERY vivid dream… *cough**cough*) and it seemed to make sense to me. Yes, Rini was raped at a point in her past, and I know I didn't go into too much detail as to what happened to her. No worries however, this isn't the last you'll hear of this mention, and the gory details will come out later on in the story. You'll just have to be patient. :P _

_That's all on my part, if you have any questions, feel free to drop me a PM or an email at djquicksilver85_at_gmail_dot_com. Till next time folks, I'll be watching…_


	6. 05: The Immovable Object

_Pre-Notes: Ok, let it be known that I'm not that good at depicting fighting scenes. I've known this for a while and have done my best to adapt to it. On top of that, I've been having a difficult time trying to figure out how to make out the fight scene in this chapter, as I don't have much experience depicting a battle between weird monsters and chicks in short school-girl fuku's and such. As a result, this chapter will be a bit shorter than my previous ones, and I apologize in advance for that. However, I'm trying my best with this. I have a general feel as to how I want this story to go now, so I'll try to stick to that as much as I can. With that in mind, on to the story. Cheers everyone!_

"Xxx" is talking.

'Xxx' is thinking.

_Xxx_ is writing and/or dream sequences.

**Xxx** is typed text.

"_**Xxx"**_ is mental/psychic communication.

Chapter 5: The Immovable Object

I lowered myself into a crouch and waited for whatever was out there to show itself. Just my luck to pick the forest with the youma in it to spend the night. I cursed myself as I heard a twig snap to my left and spun in that direction before hearing an eerie laugh. Just as I raised my knife in defense I heard another twig snap behind me. That thing couldn't have moved that fast, no way in hell! That's when I hear the second laugh. There's two of them out there!

"We finally found you little girl…" echoed one voice overhead. I looked up in time to see a shadow flash over me and into the treetops.

"We've been looking for you for a long time now girl…" echoed the second voice from behind. I spun around and came face-to-face with one of the most hideous creatures I'd ever seen.

It was humanoid in nature. Scaly brown skin, long white fur for hair, green glowing eyes, and about twice as tall as I was. Skinny, but scary looking with its sharp claws and fangs. The face though, it looked familiar…

"You're…" I started, struggling to grasp in my head exactly what I was seeing. "You're the cops from earlier…"

"Yessssss…" hissed the first voice, this time landing behind me. I turned around to see a clone of the brown skinned beast, the only difference is it's skin color was grey rather than brown. "We've been looking for you for a very long time now little girl."

"Very long time now indeed," purred the second monster.

"What do you want from me?" I said, trying to sound innocent. "I'm just a common street punk, I've got nothing you two want!"

"Oh but you do my pet," said the first monster.

"Energy…" said the second.

"We need energy…" replied the first.

"YOUR Energy…" exclaimed the second.

"You have HER energy…"

"The same smell, the same feel, the same mouth watering allure…"

"The energy of the Royals…"

"WE WILL HAVE IT!" they exclaimed all at once before they lunged. I screamed and ducked as they dove over me. I took their overexertion as my queue to start running. I didn't get further than a few steps though, when the grey skinned monster cut me off. A moment later, the brown skinned one was behind me. I looked back and forth as they started to circle around me, a look of glee on their monstrous faces, their faces salivating at whatever horrendous thoughts where going through their head. I felt my heart pounding within my chest, my breathing becoming labored. This whole thing was starting to scare me. It's too close to what happened seven years ago. Too close to what lead me to my darkest moment.

"_Well, well, well boys! Look what we have here!"_

"_Can we keep her boss?"_

"_Looks like we get to have ourselves a little fun before we're finished with you, little lady…"_

"Hehehehehe, nowhere to run little girl. Maybe we should have some fun with you before we finish feasting on your flesh and energy!" exclaimed the brown skinned monster. My eyes snap to him and I snarl. No way in hell I'm gonna let another pair of bastards break me again.

"_**You have the power to stop them…"**_

I knew that thought didn't belong to me. Chibiusa had found me and was floating towards me. _**"I can help you unlock it, with it you'll be able to make these creatures pay dearly for their slight towards us."**_

"_What do I do?"_ I thought. _"How do I unlock it?"_

"_**You must reach within yourself and tap into the well that is within. Then, cry out 'Terra Planet Power, Make-up' to unleash the fury of this planet upon them."**_

They where lunging for me again. I leaped and rolled to the side to avoid them and snapped back, doing as her voice told me. I could feel the raw power within me stir as I touched it, and with a piercing cry I throw my hand in the air and shout out the phrase that would change my life as I knew it forevermore.

"TERRA PLANET POWER, MAKE-UP!"

Time seemed to slow down for an instant. The light blinds me and I close my eyes feel myself start to spin. I felt my clothes disappear, and for a brief moment I felt as if I were naked to the world. Then I felt the leotard appear, followed by the gloves, skirt, boots and ribbons. Finally, as I feel the tiara form on my head, I stop spinning and the light show ends. I open my eyes and look down. The skirt I now donned was gold with silver trim, as where the elbow-long gloves and calf-length boots. I then looked up to my opponents who looked at me with glee.

"She's transformed…"

"Her energy is radiant…"

"IT MUST BE OURS!" they cried as they lunged once more, claws poised to cleave me in half. This time, however, I was ready. I felt a power coursing through me unlike anything I'd ever felt before. I rushed to meet them head on and leapt when they did. I twisted around the attempted claw of number 2's and smashed my right elbow into his face as I twisted my body in mid-strike and lashed out with a vicious roundhouse to number 1's mid-section. They landed in a heap on the forest floor and struggled to get up. I prepared myself for my next attack.

They got up and rushed at me again. I leapt towards them and lashed out with a viscious roundhouse kick that sent one of them flying a good distance. I heard more than saw it crash into a tree and slump back down. I crouched just in time for it's friend to sail over me. I rush at it with the intent of unleashing hell on it's head before I feel movement to my left. I quickly dive to the side as it's partner makes it's presence known in the fight once more.

Now I find myself on the defensive. Dodging attacks to the best of my abilities, blocking the swipes I couldn't avoid, and weaving in a devastating attack when I could find any kind of opening. Finally, I leapt back a ways and assessed the situation again. I was hurt. I was covered in scratches and I'm pretty sure I was gonna bruise all over in the morning. The monsters didn't look nearly as bad, but what little damage I did manage to do was devastating. I saw the first monster reach for it's left shoulder and pushed down on it until it popped loudly back into place. The second one merely puffed it's chest out, a loud crack snapping the eerie silence that had settled upon the land.

"_**Reach within yourself and call forth the power of the planet. You are it's avatar now, it will respond to your will…"**_

I felt myself reach within to the connection I now felt to the very earth beneath me. I felt it's power well up inside me and direct itself into my left hand. I gazed at my opponents as they turned to face me, a golden light manifesting itself into my cupped hand. "You've hurt me and mine for the very last time…" I whispered as I cock back my arm.

"TERRA CRUSHER!" I cry out as I launch my attack at them. The golden light expanded into a globe and rushed into the earth as it headed towards the youma. The first one leapt out of the way in time, but the second one got caught in the attack. It screeched an unearthly cry as it disintegrated under the fury of the planet attack. Just as the attack was about to continue on, it exploded in a flash of brilliant light for a brief moment before all the energy that was expended in the area got sucked up in some kind of vacuum effect before disipitating completely. I smirked as the attack ran it's course, when I suddenly felt the weight of extreme fatigue bear upon me. I slumped down afterward, the attack draining me of most of my energy.

"Hahahahaha… you're weak now… vulnerable… you're mine!" cried the remaining youma as it advanced on her. My vision was blurring, and I knew I hadn't much time left before it reached me.

"_**The planet Terra is immovable… a veritable fortress, capable of withstanding forces that would destroy any other planet… use this strength… use it to protect the innocent…"**_

I reach down deep, trying to scrape up the energy to attack again, but finding it empty. I grit my teeth, determined not to give into the want to drift off and sleep. I found my body moving on its own accord, standing up, my determination giving me new strength, fortifying my body with the will of the planet. I knew then that I had become the proverbial 'Immovable Object'. I knew that I had the power to defeat this monster as well. It stopped advancing towards me as it saw me standing up.

"Die…" I whisper as I summoned the golden energy of the planet into my hand once more. "Terra Crusher!" I cried as I tossed the attack at it. The monster dodged to the side but the attack clipped it's left leg. It let out a terrific screech as it skidded to a halt. It grabbed it's stump of a leg, it's eyes closed tight as it tried to shut out the pain.

I was upon him in a split second. I reached within and called forth the power of my planed a third time. "It's over!", I exclaimed as I brought forth the Terra Crusher to bear upon him once more.

This time, the attack struck true, the creature perishing in a similar fashion to its counterpart. I felt my face split in a grin that threatened to tear my face in two before I slumped down, knowing that the battle was finally over. My clothing shimmers and dispersed in a flash of white, leaving me in my original street clothing. I'd never felt so drained in my life than I did at that moment. I tried to get up but found myself slumping forward. As I hit the ground I saw a luminescent glow near me.

"_**Sleep now, Rini. I will watch over you for now… you have earned your rest today…"**_

So exhausted… even though I wanted to fight it and stay awake, I knew, then and there, that my body would not allow me to continue. I obey the voice and embrace the allure of sleep as I finally give in to the exhaustion that has taken me.

0-0-0-0

The first thing I felt as I woke up was a soreness throughout my body that would have made me groan in pain if I didn't feel so groggy. The floor beneath me was earthy, and the smell of running water and fresh earth was all around me, which meant I was outside. I opened my eyes and slowly took in my surroundings. I had somehow made it back to the Princess's clearing. I sat up only to slump back down. My head was pounding and I was dizzy. I shut my eyes tight as I tried to make the world stop spinning.

"_**Welcome back, Rini…"**_ I heard. I look to my left to see Chibiusa sitting on the floor at the base of a large tree.

"What happened to me?" I groaned out as I covered my forehead with my hand, trying to put some pressure on it to alleviate some of the pain I was feeling.

"_**You accessed too much power for your incomplete body to handle,"**_ replied the princess.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"_**A Sailor Senshi is bound to her planet, Rini. Their very soul is connected to their planetary body, and through this connection, they are able to access the full power of their planet. Your soul, however, is fractured. So long as I exist outside of your body, your soul cannot be complete, and so you will only be able to access a fraction of your true potential."**_

As I processed what she told me I noticed that the spinning had stopped and my head was not pounding as hard. I tried slumping back up again and managed to pull myself into a sitting position upon the forest floor. I felt slightly dizzy at first, but managed to force myself to stay up this time. It seemed like I didn't have a choice in this matter. I knew that, while those monsters where gone, there would be plenty more. I'd need the newfound power within me to protect myself, as well as my family and friends. The mere thought of Rikku and Lina on their own, fending for themselves and worrying about my absence all at once nearly brought me to tears. Hotaru also came to the front of my mind, and how I'd probably lost my chance with her to be anything more than a friend.

"_**Don't give up hope, dear Serena,"**_ said the Princess. _**"Help is not far from you should you wish to seek it. Already you have an ally amongst the Eternal Senshi, and you have your own Senshi to find as well…"**_

I pictured 4 other faceless girls fighting against the monstrosities of the night and shuddered.

"No…" I whispered. "No… I will not drag in another group of innocents into my problems…"

I looked up, about to see the spirit before me argue her point, but I cut her off before she could begin. "No! This is my burden to bear, and no one else's. In this, I will stand alone."

She sighed and closed her eyes for a split second before opening them and looking me in the eyes. She smile softly at me, a sad smile. A smile reserved for one who had no hope left. _**"Very well, if that is your wish."**_

"It is," I replied. If there where more of those monsters that threatened those I cared about, I would be the immovable object that protected them against the evils out to destroy them. "What must I do then. You said I can't access this power unless we merge. If we do this, I will still be me, right? How would this work?"

"_**I would have to reach inside you and touch your soul. Since we are one and the same inside, it would recognize me and accept me for what I am. Once it is complete, you will slowly start to recover my memories and take them as yours. You would still be the dominant personality, so do not fear you loosing your own memories or me taking over you. Once the transfer is done, it is done, and I will exist no more as Chibiusa, Princess Small Lady Serenity. We would truly be one."**_

I nodded my head in acceptance. "Do it. If there are more of those monsters out there, then my family is in danger. I must protect them if they're to have any hopes of survival."

It wasn't what I wanted to do. In that I was currently feeling like a ravid animal cornered into a bad place. I didn't want to be forced into the role of protector.

It was what I needed to do. I would rather this be forced unto me than unto anyone else. I would gladly bare the burden of protector if it meant those I loved would be safe.

She was in front of me now. She was smiling at me, and if she where corporal, I'm sure she would be on the verge of crying. _**"Remember Rini… though you won't hear my voice anymore… I will always be with you… just as you are a child of Terra, you are also a child of the Moon… my strength will always be there, waiting for you to touch upon it when you need it most."**_

She knelt down in front of me and reached for my chest before hesitating. _**"I love you…"**_ I heard her say, before touching me between my breasts. There was a slight pause in the air as soon as she made contact. For a split second, nothing moved, the wind stilled, the water stopped running, the squirrels stopped mid-movement, and the world around us stood still.

Then, the light came.

To Be Continued…

_Author's Notes: So yeah, this chapter took long enough. Between work real life I really haven't had much time to sit down and write. I'm afraid updates will continue to come irregularly for the foreseeable future, as I cannot control what happens IRL to keep me away from my stories. I will, however, try to at least work on the development of this story as much as possible, so that when I do have time to sit down and write my chapters, I can do so fairly quickly with everything already organized. That's as much as I can promise. Thank you all for bearing with me on this, and I hope you enjoyed this latest installment of my story._

_Until next time, I'll be watching you… _


	7. 06: Memories of the Lost

_Pre-Notes: This chapter is particularly special to me in that it sets the pace for the rest of the story. The meat and potatoes of the storyline truly begins here, so get ready, because you're in for quite the ride if I do say so myself. That being said…_

"Xxx" is talking.

'Xxx' is thinking.

_Xxx_ is writing and/or dream sequences.

**Xxx** is typed text.

"_**Xxx"**_ is mental/psychic communication.

Chapter 6: Memories of the Lost

Yesterday marked the 17th year since her death . 17 years since she had been able to smile about anything. Grief had struck her for 2 years before she had begun to make an attempt to move on. She knew that it was eating her up inside. She knew that it was getting in the way of her duty to her people. She also knew that, at the time, she did not really care at all, because at the end of the day it changed nothing. Neo-Queen Serenity, Eternal Sailor Moon, or more commonly known to her Senshi, advisors, and husband as Tsukino Usagi, had failed her daughter.

She should have noticed what was going on. She should have felt the distance that was being created between her daughter and her more keenly. She should have done something about it, perhaps she should have sought her out more often, spent more time with her, talked to her more, perhaps. Perhaps she should have been less controlling. Perhaps she should have given her daughter more liberties, more choices. Looking back, she could remember her own mother during the Silver Millennium, and how she too tried to set her up with suitor after suitor, trying to get her to marry some foreign dignitary or another. She also remembered hating it all. Perhaps she should have looked back in hindsight and learned from her own mother's past mistakes. Perhaps she didn't because it was, ironically, through that very method which she had first even heard mention of the name Endymion, of the man that was now and forever her husband. Perhaps… but for naught now, for it was too late to do anything anymore.

An eerie silence had befallen the Crystal Palace since then during the night. Usagi had taken to wandering the halls late at night, almost as if she where haunting it's halls, the shadow of guilt reflecting in her eyes everywhere she went. Selene bless her Senshi, they where trying their best to run things during her time of need, but she knew that they could not handle such things for much longer. The state of Crystal Tokyo had been deteriorating ever since the Black Moon Family tried their heinous take-over, but during the last 17 years the state of the city had plummeted in her grief. Corruption had wormed it's way into the heart of man once more. Crime was abundant amongst the humans again, and the youma where starting to act up in the outskirts. Western Tokyo was considered to be a lost cause to the Senshi, she knew. The corruption of man had turned it into a cesspool of crime, greed, and corruption the likes of which had not been seen since the late 20th century to early 21st century.

Tonight found her on the balcony of her late daughter's room, gazing out at the stars, reminiscing to her more innocent days, to a time when she was just 14 years old. It was a time when she believed in the good of all man, when she believed her future was secure. A time of peaceful turbulence, as she thought of it now. Evil queens, threats from the future, Chaos itself, those where dealt with. The good times though, those outweighed the bad ones by years. She remember posing as her daughter's cousin back then, the arguments and fights that they had, the tender moments that they shared. The laughs and the tears, the fights and the heartfelt apologies. The shakes at the Crown, the arcade games, Chibiusa making fun of her every time she lost at Sailor V…

There was a minor shift in the air, and Usagi knew she was no longer alone in the room. "What can I do for you Setsuna?"

"Just checking in, your majesty. All is as it should be at the Gates," was the response as always.

"Good," said the otherwise quiet royal, her gaze out towards the moon.

Setsuna stayed there for a minute, just taking in the view of her queen looking out towards her kingdom with those sad eyes. Finally, she spoke.

"Are you well Usagi-chan?" she asked.

Usagi shook her head, being honest with Setsuna. "No Sets… I haven't been ok for a good while now."

"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" asked Setsuna, her voice almost in a whisper as she stepped closer to hug her queen.

"Setsuna… I…" was all she got out before the first tremors reached the palace. The abrupt earthquake shook them to the core as they grabbed onto the rail to steady themselves, secure in the knowledge that it would not break apart unless the wards tied into the building collapsed.

"What's going on?" asked Usagi, bewildered at the strange phenomenon taking place. While earthquakes where not uncommon, their frequency was progressively getting less and less. The last earthquake they felt was…

"I don't know your majesty, but we're about to find out!" shouted Setsuna, her gaze over the horizon. Usagi looked towards the spot that Setsuna was looking at just in time to see the pillar of light shoot out from the Earth towards the full moon. Finally, the earthquake began to subside, allowing the girls to steady themselves and actually look at what was happening.

It was like de-ja-vu. It was exactly what they had seen the night she had felt her daughter slip away from her. Her hand went to her mouth in shock as her jaw dropped at the sight. Tears started to well up in her eyes as she realized what this phenomenon might mean. The clap of thunder sounded off all around as rain started falling, a storm starting up mere seconds after the lightshow began.

"Setsuna…" she said softly, her voice wavering. "Find out what is causing this. Go, now."

"At once, Usagi-chan," said Setsuna, snapping back into place as she teleported back to the Gates to begin her investigation.

Finally alone again, she allowed the tears to start falling. She started sobbing heavily, allowing the walls that she had build around her heart over the many years past to crumble away completely. She now knew, looking at the pillar of light before her, that she still had something to live for. For the first time in 17 years, she felt an emotion that she thought would forever elude her again.

She felt hope.

0-0-0-0

_*Flash*_

"_My hat! Someone catch my hat!"_

_*Flash*_

"_Hi, my name is Hotaru."_

"_Hi Hotaru, I'm Chibiusa! You want to be friends?"_

_*Flash*_

"_I know you have the Imperial Silver Crystal, give it to me now!"_

_*Flash*_

"_Come on Rini, we can't stay here tonight, it's not safe."_

"_You sure Lina-chan? I'm sure I can take on whatever is out there."_

"_I'm sure… c'mon, I see a bridge in the distance, maybe we can stay under there tonight."_

_*Flash*_

"_By the light of Selene, Rikku, what have you done…"_

"_Who, me? I didn't do nothing. The fire did it. It saved me… it made me feel safe…"_

_*Flash*_

"_I want my mommy!"_

"_So, the Rabbit has finally been trapped! Time to die!"_

"_Not so fast Rubeus!"_

_*Flash*_

"_Jeez Usagi, how many times are you going to play that game? You're going to waste all of your allowance on that machine."_

"_I'm just gonna play one more squirt, now hold still!"_

"_No way, you still owe me a milkshake from last week!"_

"_Do not!"_

"_Do too!"_

"_Do not!"_

"_Do too!"_

_*Flash*_

"_Wow Serena, I didn't know you knew how to DJ so well!"_

"_It's not that hard Miki-chan. This synthesizer and these turntable are pretty old though, where did you find them?"_

"_They belong to the orphanage, they're putting on a play in a week, and they're using this for the sound!"_

_*Flash*_

"_Stay… away… from me…""Heheheh, not so tough now, are you little girl?"_

"_Can we keep her, boss?_

"_Yeah boss, can we have some fun with her?"_

"_Looks like we found us some entertainment for tonight boys. Strip her!"_

_*Flash*_

"_Well, I gotta get going, I'm meeting some friends up north in order to get settled in. Maybe I'll see you around?"_

"_Sure, I'll definitely keep an eye out for you. I'm Hotaru, by the way. Tomoe Hotaru."_

"_Basara Serena, at your service. But all my friends call me Rini-chan!" _

_*Flash*_

"_Don't you remember your cousin? Tsukino Chibiusa?"_

"_She's not my cousin!"_

_*Flash*_

_Serena…_

_*Flash*_

_Usagi…_

_*Flash*_

_Rini…_

_*Flash*Chibiusa…_

_*Flash*_

"_**Wake up, chosen one. Wake up and live, be my voice, my will. Awaken, my avatar, for your journey has just begun!"**_

_*FLASH!*_

0-0-0-0

Usagi walked into the situation room, deep below the Crystal Palace where Artemis the now-human Mao and Ami Mizuno, aka Eternal Sailor Mercury where working on the much-upgraded Mercury Super-Computer, a console taking up the entire north wall. Tied to the wards that protected the palace, it also served as a powerful surveilance tool for the surrounding area and one of the most comprehensive databanks in existence.

"Status report," said an authorative Usagi as she walked up to her oldest friend and the first true scout to ever awaken.

"The pillar of light came from the west, from an estimated 28 kilometers from the city," explained Ami. "The readings I'm getting from it suggest that the energy was composed of a combination of Golden and Silver Millennium energy. The only explination I can think of is a simultaneous use of the Golden Crystal and the Imperial Silver Crystal, which is impossible due to the fact that both objects are currently residing in this very building and have been inactive for the last 30 years, ever since the Black Moon Family attempted its take-over."

"Have you been able to learn anything else about it?" asked Usagi anxiously.

"Not yet Usagi-chan, we're still analyzing the data that was recorded," said Artemis, who was pulling up graphs and charts of the energy expenditure caused by the strange phenomenon.

"I, too, have yet to find much else in relation to the pillar," said a new voice. Usagi and the others turned around to see Setsuna standing in the southwestern corner of the room. "It is unnerving. The Time Gates cannot discern what caused it. It is almost as if they are purposefully keeping this information from me. I'm currently in the process of tracking down the events that may have lead to it's formation, but it will take some time before I find anything."

Silence reigned for nearly a minute before Usagi broke it. "Is it in any way related to the pillar of light we saw 17 years ago?"

"There's a 97% chance that it is, though until the Mercury Computer is finished analyzing the data from the energy outburst currently in progress I cannot confirm that with absolute certainty," said Ami.

"I don't see how it can't be connected though," said Artemis as he inputted more commands into the massive console before him. "This outburst of energy is, up until now, identical in every form to the one that was recorded 17 years ago. The odds of it not being related are astronomical."

"I do NOT want to make any assumptions about this Artemis," snapped Usagi, making the poor Mau jump out of his skin for a moment. "I want to be absolutely certain that there is a connection. Chibiusa had a hand in the phenomenon of 17 years ago, and if she has had a hand in this one then I want no mistakes made. IF there is a chance that my daughter is the cause of this then I want all the information we can get on this pillar of power as we can get. Location, make-up, intensity, everything we can gleam to get us closer to the truth."

She went to the console and stared at the images being projected from the screens, a look of melancholy on her face. "If there is even an inkling of a chance that my daughter is alive… I will do everything within my power to find her."

Setsuna walked towards her majesty with a look of longing in her eyes, finally coming to a rest beside Usagi. She put a comforting hand on her left shoulder before saying, "Worry not your highness, if there is a chance that Small Lady is alive, then we will find her."

"Small Lady is not the cause of this power surge," said a new voice from behind the group.

Everyone turned to stare at the new comer. She was female, and covered in a black cloak with purple trim, a deep hood over her face. There was no mistaking who she was, however, for the Silence Glaive in her hand could be wielded by none other than it's mistress.

"Hotaru?" questioned Usagi. Having not been seen in the palace proper ever since her isolation on Titan Castle, it was indeed a surprise to see her.

"The energy released 17 years ago was the mark of a passing, a release of pure life energy. This energy, however similar, is much different. It has a feel of something I have not felt in years," she said, walking towards the group to take a better look at the pillar of light.

"What do you mean, Hotaru? Are you saying that there is someone else out there capable of doing this?" asked Setsuna. Usagi just stared at her, waiting for the cloaked Senshi of Death and Rebirth to continue.

"Chibiusa died 17 years ago. Of that I can assure you. I felt her passing from the darkest catacombs of Titan Castle. She is not the cause of this. The person who is, however, feels so similar to her that she has drawn me back. I now know what my purpose is."

"And what is this purpose, Sailor Saturn?" asked Usagi, now even more curious at what could possibly draw the reclusive Tomoe Hotaru out of hiding and isolation, be it her isolation off-planet or her hiding in plain sight within the Northern district.

"To nurture, protect, and guide a new breed of Soldier," she said.

The group stared at her in shock. Had they heard right? A new Soldier? "Saturn… are you saying that this is the sign of the birth of a new Sailor Senshi?" asked Usagi.

"Indeed I am," replied Hotaru, a smug-like tinge now present in her voice. "I have felt her creation. Finally, after countless millennia of being defenseless save for it's Prince, this planet has, at long last, given birth to it's first Sailor Senshi. A Sailor Senshi of the Earth."

"But who? Who is the one that was chosen to be the new Senshi?" asked Artemis, his voice sounding faint from shock.

"That," said Hotaru, "I cannot answer, for it is not my answer to give. I WILL say this, however - tonight marks the rebirth of a most potent power. This much I can feel."

With that said, the cloaked Sailor Saturn turned and faded out of the room, teleporting to Selene knows where. The remaining group stood there in shock, contemplating what they had learned from the Senshi of Death and Rebirth. No one could move, too unnerved to attempt to do anything but process what had just been revealed to them.

Finally, after what seemed like minutes, Usagi gave the command. "Everyone, head back to your posts. Keep an eye out for anything unnatural. The moment this new Senshi surfaces, I want to know."

They all looked to her, surprised to see tears streaking down her cheeks. Her eyes where ablaze with emotion, but outward, save for her tears, she betrayed nothing. Not a sob nor a whimper. Despite having her hopes of seeing her daughter alive again stomped on by Sailor Saturn, she still had a determination in her. Something was driving her, something just out of their sights.

Usagi stared at the monitors for a moment longer before she turned around and started to walk out, She stopped just outside the entrance of the doorway, however, and turned around, and said these parting words to the group. "I will meet with this new Senshi myself… even if it means having to become Eternal Sailor Moon one last time to do so."

0-0-0-0

I awoke to the pitter-patter of rain falling from the sky. I don't know how long I've been lying there in the rain, all I can tell is that it was long enough for my clothes to be thoroughly soaked. I shivered, the water was cold, but I just don't have the energy to move. My head is pounding, memories assaulting me at barely a moment's notice. It's too much. I can feel myself blacking out again. Pain…

0-0-0-0

This time it's the sunlight that wakes me up. I can feel the evil light trying to drill it's way through my eyelids and into my eyes in an attempt to fry my brains… well, maybe I'm over-exaggerating, but the headache I have makes it feel like I'm not. I groan as I use my arms to sit up, my eyes still closed.

What happened yesterday? I know it's something of great signific -

_*Flash* _

"_TERRA CRUSHER!"_

_*Flash*_

_An inhuman wail piercing the night._

_*Flash*_

_Dodging claws, threats, wanting to render flesh._

_*Flash*_

I cover my eyes with the palm of my hands and try putting pressure on them to try to alleviate some of the pain, flashbacks assaulting me left and right. I feel around and found the root of a tree which I used as a brace to try to stand. I didn't even last 3 seconds before I fell back down on my butt -

_*Flash*_

"_Usagi, you're such a clutz!"_

"_WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"_

_*Flash*_

"_Oomph!"_

"_Gomen-nasai!"_

'_Kawaiiiiiiii…"_

_*Flash!*_

I gasp as the pain hits me again, the wind knocked out of me by the fall, the pounding of my head not giving an inch. I whimpered in pain. I was so dizzy that I could barely breath. I was so short of breath I was sure that I'd pass out soon from lack of breathing. I gulped in air like there was no tomorrow, trying to calm my nerves down as much as I could. My body shivered, I was cold and wet. It was the first time I noticed just how thoroughly soaked I was. I needed to warm up soon or else I was going to freeze or get sick. I tried to get on my knees to crawl for cover. I made it maybe a few inches before I collapsed.

I saw the darkness edging around my vision before I started feeling faint. I knew I was about to pass out. I do my best not to give in, despite the hopelessness that was now settling into my chest. I know if I give in again I won't wake up again. I was fading and fading fast. In desperation, I try to call out.

"H… he… he… he-el… hel…p…he-el…p… he…lp…" was all I could get out before my breath left me. Is this the end?

_*Flash*_

"_**You are not yet fully recovered, my child. Rest, I will watch over you. I will not let you go again. Rest, chosen one. All will be well."**_

_*Flash!*_

This voice was different. While the previous one was female, this one was male. While the previous one gave me strength and purpose, this one gave me hope. Hopelessness turned to relief, and I let out a therapeutic sigh of contentment. I had gotten the message. I embraced the darkness, now sure that I would survive this. All will be well.

0-0-0-0

The fields of Elysion stretched out for miles and miles, bright roses of different colors scattered throughout the lands. The sky, however, was dark, the air chilled. It was only a matter of time before the very roses of the land started dying once again. Off in the distance, well beyond the confines of the Shrine of Elysion, the pillar of light had just finished fading out of existence. Helios, First Priest of Elysion, was currently inside the heart of the shrine at the altar, kneeling before the King and his Golden Crystal and praying for guidance. Ever since Small Lady passed on, Helios has had nothing but the power of the Golden Crystal for guidance. The loss of his first and greatest friend had left him lost. It was only due to Endymion's intervening that he still had the power to protect this land from the corruption of the outside.

He was aware of Neo-Queen Serenity's plan to try and marry off her daughter to him. He had summoned the King that very evening to try and get him to dissuade his Queen for the sake of his Princess, for he knew that such a move would drive her to the brink of destruction.

He was right.

Now, the King sat before him, deep in meditation, the Golden Crystal spinning silently between his cupped hands, the power of Creation channeling through the focus. They where like that for hours before the King started stirring. Finally, the Crystal stopped glowing and fell back into his left hand. He closed a light fist around it and opened his eyes.

"Her rebirth is complete," he said. Helios looked up to his king.

"I'm glad," he responded. "Her life will not be easy from here on out," he said.

"It was never easy to begin with," he said, a melancholy look in his eyes. He stood up and stretched before turning away, his eyes shining with tears as he remembered. "When I first found her she was about 11 or 12 years old. She had just finished tapping into the Earth's energy for the first time. The state that she was in was enough to make any man sick. The sight of her that night still haunts my worse nightmares."

He shuddered at the thought. Small Lady reborn, her innocence lost. It was more than he could ever bear to contemplate. "What will you do now that her rebirth is finished?"

"Guide her, of course," said Endymion. "Reincarnation or not, that girl is still my daughter, and late as I was finding her, now that I know what she is and, more importantly, who she is, I will make sure that I am there to teach her what she needs to know to carry on the will of the planet."

The two of them made their way out of the temple and into the fields. So many roses scattered about. Endymion plucked one out of the ground and stared at it from the top. It was a beautiful red rose, deep in color. He flipped it over to look at the bottom. Ashy grey was the color that he now stared at.

"It has begun at last," he murmured. "The damage done to this planet is beyond repair. Earth is dying."

Helios shuddered at the thought. "How is it possible? This is the planet of Life," he whispered in disbelief.

"Life can still be snuffed out if it is not nurtured," replied Endymion. "But take heart my brethren. For where there is still the will to persevere, so too is there hope." And with those parting words, Endymion's form flashed gold for a moment before disappearing altogether.

Helios looked back from the spot where his King previously stood to look at the fields that now surrounded him. Endymion was right on one part at least. If something did not get done soon, this planet would perish.

To Be Continued…

_Author's Notes: I wrote this chapter REALLY slow on purpose. This chapter is supposed to set the tone for the rest of the story, as mentioned before, so I wanted to make sure that I had everything worked out the way I wanted it to go. The final part was a huge twist, I know, I'm sure no one saw that coming! So now both Hotaru and Mamoru know about Rini, how will this progress? _

_It's incredible how I spent nearly 2 months planning out how I wanted this to go before even starting to write it and I still feel the need to add in stuff that I never even really planned for in the end. A lot is changing right now as far as the story goes. My original synopsis has become more of a guideline than a sure-fire guide like I originally meant it to be. This story is taking on a soul of it's own, a scary thing all things considering. For all I know this story could take a completely different turn from the one I have planned for it, however, I'm sure that the key elements of it will stay intact. The scene in Elysion is important, keep it in mind throughout the story, and if you remember the SuperS manga, you will know why the symbolism in that scene is so important._

_As always, feedback is much appreciated. For now though, I'm off to start planning the next chapter._

_Till next time folks, I'll be watching…_


	8. 07: Identity and Purpose

_Pre-notes: This chapter proved extremely difficult to write, and not just due to the technical difficulties that I've been having either. The evolving characterization stumped me for a bit as I was trying to decide where to go with it, and there are certain interactions in this chapter that I may or may not go back and alter in the future as this story continues to evolve. I'm also trying to decide at what point I'm going to start implementing the other Senshi, though I can safely say it won't be in the immediate future, as I feel that at this point it would do more harm than good to just throw them out there. I'll figure it out eventually, I should have a much better idea where they'll fall within the next two or three chapters._

_Anyway, enough about my ramblings, on with the show!_

Chapter 7: Identity and Purpose

I awoke with a headache the size of the Cauldron. The light fluttering through the trees above where not helping matters any. I groaned and rolled over on the cold earth, trying to block out the light with little success. It was a few moments later that I found the futility in trying to go back to sleep and slowly sat myself up as I assessed the situation I now found myself in.

The last thing I could remember was the blinding light and the feeling of rejuvenation as I accepted a part of me that I had thought I'd lost long ago. There was an energy that I could feel, coming from below. The Earth was responding to my recent joining, but it was not alone. I could feel a second connection, one coming from above. I looked up and saw the waning full moon making way to the rising sun. I looked on confused. What significance is the moon to me as an avatar of Terra?

It was then that the flood started. A small trickle of random thoughts that soon turned into a flood of memories assaulted me like a typhoon raging through my head. A lifetime of memories raged on within me, showing little to no mercy for my poor weakened state. I clutched my head in mind-numbing agony, my mouth opening as if to scream in a tortuous pain, and yet no sound came out. I collapsed onto the ground again, unable to withstand much more. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the darkness came.

Like a woman who hadn't had water for days, I drank it in until I knew no more.

0-0-0-0

It was night time again the next time consciousness decided to grace me. My head was pounding in protest, begging me to go back to sleep, to give it more time to recover from its ordeal. I bit back my protests though. I had slept enough. Random memories from what seems like two different lifetimes swam through my head. The clash of two personalities made me unsure of how I should react to the situation. I do not know what is real and what is not, the confusion enough to bring tears to my eyes. I squeeze them shut and feel the tears escape their confines, rolling down my dirt-caked face. I press my hands to my head, trying to apply counter-pressure to try to alleviate the remnants of the headache that still lingered. Everything important was drifting just out of reach... Even my own name was eluding me... was I Rini? Was I Chibiusa? What was past and present? Memory and reality? My voice rasped out the one question that was swirling through my mind, leaving a sea of chaos in its warpath. "W... wh... who am... wh-who a-am I?"

I stared off into space for what seemed like a singular moment, time having lost meaning to me long ago. My throat burned and my mouth tasted of a strange mix of dirt, blood, and something I could not name as of yet. My body was shivering, as if I were in the throes of a fever.

"Wha... what happened to me?" I rasped out.

_**"You have embraced your past my child, and have, at last, awakened,"**_ explained one of the voices that I vaguely remembered hearing earlier, the female one. I shuddered in shock. That voice had vibrated through my head, but at the same time it had not made a sound! I suddenly heard that same voice giggle in a most feminine way, one that nearly had me blushing from tip to root.

_**"Peace, my child. Know that I will never harm you. You are safe for now. Of this, I can assure you," **_she said. Her voice sounded old, yet strong, gentle, yet firm, almost like a grandmother conveying her wisdom onto her grandchildren...

"Wh... who are you? How are you... s-s-sp-speaking with me?" I asked, starting to freak out. The forest is deserted! I'm positive it is!

_**"I am Terra, my child. I am the spirit of the planet Terra, the planet which your kind now calls Earth. I speak inside your mind now because you are now connected to me. You and I have formed a bond that is unique not only in its creation, but in its existence as well," **_she explained. My mind came to a screeching halt as the explanation surged forward. I'm talking to the spirit of this entire _planet_? Again, I hear that amused giggle vibrate through me. _**"Relax, child. I promise you, you are not going crazy..."**_

"Why is this happening to me?" I whispered, trying to force the tears to stop but being unable to hold the flood back. "Why are you doing this to me... I can't even tell you my name right now..." I gasped, my voice ground less and less steady as I went on. "I'm a broken girl, what use can I be to you..."

_**"My child..." **_I gasped as I felt a warmth surround me, almost as if someone was... hugging me? _**"You have suffered so much... too much for one so young... for over a thousand cycles I have watched you, unable to intervene on your behalf, your connection to the moon always overriding my attempts to manifest my will within you... only when you gave yourself to rebirth was I able to plant my seed within you... And finally, after so long, it has finally sprouted within you. My chosen one... My Sailor Soldier, my voice, my will, and my power are now yours to wield..."**_

I took in everything the planet was saying, shock surging through my system like a raging river. "I... I don't know what to say..."

_**"You need not say anything, my young child... Just know this: though we might not always be able to communicate like this at all times, so long as we are connected to one another, you will never again be alone. I will always be here for you, my soldier, guiding your hand as you do your duty..."**_

"My... duty?"

_**"I... I am dying, my child..." **_I gasped as she admitted this. Even through the newly formed tremors, in my mind I knew I should not have been surprised... "The Great Freeze..."

_**"Yes, my child. While I might have recovered from one Freeze in times past, I was... not quite as prepared for this one as I was the last one. My own children where killing me slowly, and I... I was weakening. By the time when the second Freeze afflicted me, it was already too late. While your first birthmother was able to buy me some time, it is merely that: borrowed time. Only through you do I now have a chance to survive... in my greatest time of need, I chose you to herald my salvation, so that my creations and I might have a fighting chance..."**_

It was all becoming clear now... I have a new purpose now... "I... I am... your defender... your champion... your avatar..."

_**"Yes, my child..."**_

"Then... I will use this power... To defend those who cannot defend themselves... I will be the pillar of strength to those who have none left... while I might not know who I am... be it Serena or Usagi... Rini or Chibiusa... that does nothing to change the fact that I have become something more... I have evolved..."

_**"Yes, my child..."**_

I slowly forced myself up, new strength flowing through my bruised and battered body. This time I made it to my feet, and as I stood, tall and proud, I looked forward with a new purpose. No longer was I defenceless, no longer did I have to stand aside while those I cared for suffered.

I closed my eyes, taking in the air around me, my fists clenched. "All of this... your creation... Is so beautiful... YOU are beautiful... and so long as I draw breath I will do all I can to see that you survive..."

_**"That is all I can ask of you, my chosen one... for it is our will... now one... always one. Go now, my child. Cleanse my body of those that would further corrupt me... and remember, that you are never alone. Our will be done, Sailor Terra, my champion of champions...**_

0-0-0-0

I start walking out of the clearing when I halt, a vague memory briefly flashing before me... I turn towards the pond, or rather, the large tree by the pond. I walk towards it, unsure of what had dragged me there...

_'So... this is what it feels like to die...'_

I kneel down by the roots and see something... out of place. A strap of some kind was sticking out from the dirt. Curiously, I grabbed it and pulled. As I lifted it up, out of the ground and out of the trees I saw that it was a backpack of sorts. The material, while dirty and worn, was made of a soft, supple material that I couldn't really identify. 'Jeez, this thing must have been here for years...' I thought. 'Wait a minute... no one's been here supposedly since the...'

My eyes widened as realization hit me. I now knew exactly who the former owner of this backpack was...

'This backpack... belongs to... _her_... to... _me_?'

The realization was like a bucket of ice-cold water to my system. To be holding physical proof of my past was more than what I could hope. Maybe in this bag was what I needed to help settle the demons that now raged within me. Maybe in here I would finally find the final clue that I needed to determine who I ultimately was.

I say down upon the soft earth and grass and opened the main compartment of the backpack. There were some clothes thrown in, and a medium-sized plain pink spiral notebook, probably some kind of journal or diary of some kind. The diary immediately intrigued me. I opened it to the fist page and saw a folded piece of paper inside between the cover and first page. It had 'Read Me First' written on it. My breath nearly left me right there. 'Had she/I really left a note for myself? I grabbed the note and set the diary aside for now, the note now having priority over the diary. I unfolded the note and noted the handwriting, so similar to my own, but with some smaller differences, the moonlight above providing me with enough clarity to see what was upon the paper. While the words upon this sheet of paper where small, light, loopy, and delicate, my own was just slightly sloppier, a little larger with the letters, and a bit heavier ad I apparently pressed down on my paper a little harder than the person that wrote this did. A small look at the signature at the bottom confirmed my beliefs as to who wrote the note. My eyes then set their sight on the top of the page and began to read.

_To My Reincarnation,_

_If you are reading this note, then my plan has worked, and I have been reborn as a new person - you. I have so many things I wish to tell you right now, but my time is limited, for even as I write this, my mother's Sailor Senshi are on the hunt, looking for me so that they may return me to my shackled life within the Crystal Palace. There are certain things that you should know, things that have recently happened . Unfortunately, not everything that needs to be said can find its way into this note, for I fear that someone may stumble upon this clearing and find this before you._

_To start with, I would like to say this - I love my family. My mother and father weren't always like they are, I can remember a time when they were still so full of life and wonder, with hopes and dreams for the future. Now, however, they have evolved into completely different people. Whether it was the Great Freeze that changed them, their ascension to the throne, the fact that my body had finally regained its ability to age, or for a different reason that they have yet to disclose to anyone, it is obvious that they have taken a change for the worse. At the time of this writing, they had made an attempt at attaining more control over my life than ever before, and have come to find myself deserted by those whom I have called comrades. Even my best friend turned her back on me, though she might not be aware of how deeply her leaving me had hurt me. I needed a way out, and I have found it. Through my death, I have become a different person - you. I am sure that when you unlock your inner strength and ascend to your birthright, that you will come to realize just how it was that my reincarnation was able to happen._

_I am running out of time and room to write, so I will leave you with the purpose of this letter, the introduction of my diary, and two pieces of advice. This diary documents the last ten years of my life. It may give you a glimpse into what it was truly like to be me growing up. It also documents all the research I have done into planets, Sailor Senshi, and their planetary crystals. While I will by no means request this of you, it is my hope that, should the line of research interest you as much as it did me, that you continue my research and use what you find to keep yourself free from my mother's control and, if you so desire, to find worthy companions to stand by your side as one of the ascended. Now for the advise. First, do not stress to much the importance of who you are compared to who I am and was. I am sure that your experiences have made you a completely different person than who I currently am. I know that my own mother had some problems with this when she was first made aware of her own origins. Second, live your life how __you__ want to. Do not allow others to control your life. While you may have a responsibility to others once you truly awaken, you also have a responsibility to yourself. Live, and enjoy life to the fullest. Know that, no matter what you choose, that you will always have my complete support. I wish you well, and good luck with your new life. My hope now lies within you, and I pray you achieve the freedom that I hope for._

_Forever yours, _

_Princess Lady Serenity Tsukino Usagi II_

I finished reading the letter, and reread it several more times. Here was physical proof, this was the key to my dilemma. Usagi was who I was, I am no longer that person. I am now Serena, a girl whom had been forged through the extreme pressures of her childhood, now a living weapon with the power to protect those I love. Lina, Rikku, Raina, and Miki, my sisters in all but blood would no longer have to suffer the wrath of this planets people.

After some more quiet contemplation, I put the note back inside the diary and closed it, deciding to meditate on what I had learned tonight at a later time when I wasn't so emotional. I would look through the diary itself later. For now, I continued to dig through the backpack and continued to take inventory of the items inside. A couple of pair of jeans, two sets of cargo pants, some tops and T-shirts, and a couple of sets of bras and panties. The underwear looked to be made of some kind of shimmering material that looked really comfortable, despite how long it had been stored in here. A shiver shot through me as I felt it; it was so smooth and silky, I couldn't wait to take a bath so I could try them on... _'Later Rini, you're becoming distracted...'_

I continued to pull items out. The cloak that was inside looked promising, it fit well, and the hood was big enough to obscure my face, perfect for her journey back to the city. I threw the cloak on and snapped the clasp shut, securing it and putting the hood up and over my head. Immediately I can tell that the material is enchanted somehow, the cloak becoming slightly warmer than it should be. A dagger of intricate design was the last item I pulled out. A 10inch blade with a 6 inch handle divided by a 3inch guard by the looks of it. The sheath was blue with a crescent moon near its tip. The blade itself had the same crescent moon on its base on both sides, signifying that it belonged to someone with ties to the monarchy or the Royal Palace Guards. I took the dagger and sheath and secured it to my belt towards my left side. Unable to find anything else of interest, I repacked everything and zipped it up. I continued my search with the outside pockets. The bottle of water inside the side picket was still sealed and good, but the nutrition bars packed next to it where long expired. I took them out and put it in the secondary pocket in front of the backpack. I started closing the pack when something in it caught my eye - a rectangular object wrapped in paper. I took it out and gaped at what I saw.

It was a currency card. It was used by businesses and wealthy people to make large purchases. According to the information on the card, it belonged to the Royal Palace, and could only be used by those keyed in by whoever was in charge of the Royal Treasury Department. Taking a chance, I pressed my thumb onto the identification pad on the bottom-left corner of the card. To my amazement, it turned green! I could access whatever was on this card! I would have to go to a Royal Bank of Crystal Tokyo to one of their ATM's to see what the balance on this was.

I put the card in my pocket and finished closing everything up. Hoisting my 'new' backpack on, I took one more look at the clearing, knowing it wouldn't be the last time I'd come here, and headed out. I made my way through the trees, looking for the spot where I had left the motorbike. After a few minutes I came upon its hiding place and was, for the umpteenth time that day, shocked at what I saw. The old-school, vintage pre-freeze motorbike had been transformed. Standing in its place was a machine that she had only ever seen the racing circuits and the Royal Guard drive - a Lightcycle. Powered by ambient energy, it was the fastest ground vehicle this side of the planet. The bike itself was gold in color, with a sleek design made for superior speed and stability. This particular model was also armored, just like the CTPD's and the Royal Guards where. That meant that it was impervious to destruction via high-velocity impacts. Nothing short of body-piercing weaponry was capable if completely destroying this thing.

'How the hell did this beautiful piece of machinery wind up here? Where's the bike I took?'

I walked up towards it and touched the seat. Immediately I felt a rush through my system and in the blink of an eye it was done. I looked down to see myself once again in the familiar white and gold Sailor uniform. The bike activated my transformation? It had even transformed my cloak, adapting it to the Senshi uniform and turning it gold with silver trim! Suddenly, I felt myself enveloped in a familiar warmth. It was then that I knew - Terra had done this. Somehow, the planet had unleashed it energy and transformed the bike into this marvel of crystalline engineering. I had only ever seen these things on the holoviewer before, and now I owned one!

I climbed on and brought the cycle to life. I shivered with anticipation as I felt it's quiet purr beneath me. I looked around and saw that the controls where very much like conventional and vintage cycles. 'I wonder how many gears this thing can shift up to... guess I'm about to find out...' I revved the engine once before shifting into first and taking off, quickly shifting into second, then third. Soon I find myself on the road again, riding faster than I've ever ridden anything before, a streak of light trailing me as I rode on towards the city, and my destiny...

To be continued...

_Author's Notes: This chapter was delayed due to three reasons, a major one and two minor ones. The first minor reason was that I have moved. That in itself took me a month, between packing up my belongings, moving everything, unpacking, cleaning up the mess in my old apartment, and rebuilding and organizing my belongings in my new apartment. The second minor reason is that I have no Internet. AT&T has failed me for the last time and I am, as I type this, waiting for Comcast to come and install Internet in my new apartment._

_Now for the major reason. My hard drive decided last month that it was a good time to try to expand its talent in the art of culinary cuisine. In other words, it fried itself. As such, I have lost my preliminary plans and all my notes, as well as the original chapter 7, which was half way through the first draft. The current chapter 7 you just finished reading is what little I was able to recover from my own memory while I attempted (and failed) to reconstruct my notes. This also accounts for why it is shorter than I am comfortable with; the original chapter 7 was going to be at least 2k words longer than this current one is. I would also like to note the whole thing was written on my iPhone, using an app called Office2, since I have no hard drive until just recently. Kinda awkward, and it might have resulted in a few more spelling and/or grammar errors than what I might normally leave, but hey, I did the best I could with the situation I was in. As such, I apologize if this particular chapter is slightly difficult to read through. As I mentioned in the pre-notes, I may be coming back to this chapter some time in the future to rewrite it and polish it off. Comes with the territory when you're your own beta reader. =(  
_

_So while I was somewhat successful at procuring the latest chapter of IC, I must now sit down and rethink this whole story through so that I can reconstruct the stories structure. Rest assured, this setback DOES NOT mean the end of IC, but it WILL take some time before the story completely recovers._

_As always, reviews are always welcomed and appreciated. Thanks for sticking with me so far, folks. Keep reading, and until next time, I'll be watching..._


	9. 08: Not Like the Others

_Pre-notes: Well, here I am again. We're now in the meat and potatoes of the story. One quick note: I have decided to incorporate the other 4 girls later in the story. Reason being is that I'm dividing it into separate arcs. This first one concentrates on Rini, the second on her relationship with her friends and Hotaru, and the third with the Queen. That being said, it's storytime!_

**Chapter 08: Not Like the Others**

It was 2:37am. So late into the night and I still could not seem to get any sleep.

It had been a week since my return to the city. All routes to the major parts of Tokyo where either highly guarded, shut down, or both. That meant that there was only one viable option if I wanted back into the city: West Tokyo. A cesspool of crime, greed, and corruption; a ghetto where the less fortunate live because they could not afford the cost of living in the better parts of the city. It was a place where even the most powerful of warriors feared to tread.

Many years ago, when the Great Freeze first took hold and the Neo-Queen used her crystal to save those she could, she had also used the crystal to erase the corruption of man from their hearts. It was an end of the chaos of the human race and the beginning of a millennium of peace and prosperity.

That all changed though, when the Black Moon Clan invaded. Under the guidance if Wiseman, they wiped out about two thirds of the population before the rest could be evacuated by the Royal Guard. After the conflict ended, the Neo-Queen used her crystal one more time to revive those that were lost in the invasion. That's when she made a grave mistake. When she revived those who were lost, she also, however unintentional, revived the corruption of man within their hearts. By the time she realized what she had done, it was too late. The Underground had been well underway. The black market had started up. Crime was once again a problem for the first time in over one thousand years...

As the city proper began to recover, those with greed in their hearts and souls started taking advantage of the innocent and the less fortunate. By the time I was born; or reborn, as it seems, the majority of the city had recovered, except West Tokyo. By the time the Neo-Queen's Senshi started paying attention to this part of the city, gangs had already laid claim to most of it. Arsenals of weapons had made its way into their hands. They had used brute force to get what they wanted. They would come and go via the old tunnel systems, what once served as Tokyo's subway system was now a network for drugs, prostitution, illegal weapons, mercenaries... you name it, and you'll find it in the Underground. Granted, some of these peddlers where just regular people trying to sell their wares to make a living, but if you knew where to look, you would always find the seedier stuff waiting there, ripe for the picking. Fearing that the corruption could spread out of West Tokyo and into the other sections of the city, the Queen instructed her Royal Guard to quarantine the area. There is only one way in and out of the city... at least, there is one way in and out above ground.

Ever since the... incident... that took place between those gang members and myself several years ago, I had found that I had some control over the wards that kept certain parts of the tunnel system separate from the rest of the Underground. These wards where installed originally some time before the Great Freeze to keep the youma at bay, using raw Terran energy to block off certain sections of the Underground, either to protect vital components and reduce costs or to protect the service entrances for specific areas. The wards where so effective that they survived the Freeze and where still serviceable today. I can, through concentration, bring down a section of the wards temporarily to grant myself access to these otherwise inaccessible parts of the Underground. This is where I stayed while I recovered from my ordeal those years ago, and it is where I am staying right now. I have been slowly bringing in furniture from the top down here whenever I wasn't out looking for food or exploring my Senshi powers: couches, beds, tables, counters, cabinets, cupboards, portable stoves and grills, I even had two refrigerators. It was a simple matter of simply finding the circuit breakers to activate the power in this long since deserted terminal. This area where I found myself in appeared to have been a service area for the old subway trains, with one access point connecting it to the main subway system of the old Underground. The old train tracks were still there, as well as the rails, the platform, the old control room for the cameras and the electrical systems, the break room, the bathrooms; everything was still there and still intact... more or less.

As intact as everything was, the wear and tear that it had to endure still took its toll on it. I had spent the first three days here just cleaning the place up. I needed to make the place liveable; this was where I was going to stay until I could find an Underground path back into Central Tokyo. One of the pillars and some of the wall and floor had crumbled since the last time I was here. Luckily, the support beams where still intact and in good condition, but it still left a good deal of debris to clean up. I had to transform into my Senshi form for that, for many pieces of the debris where too large and heavy for my regular form. The showers where the next thing I worked on. I had found one inside the bathrooms which was inside the old employee break room. I had to let the water run with the showerheads unattached to get the gunk out of them, but eventually most of the showers where letting out clean water. There were two on the men's side and one on the women's side that just refused to let out anything other than gunk, so I covered those up with plastic to set them apart from the others.

Next came the beds. I wanted to have multiple beds in case I had to hide any of the girls in here, and considering what had happened to me, the possibility was very much there. Originally I had wanted bunk beds, but then at the last minute I remembered one incident that happened in one of the old orphanages I had stayed at as a little girl, where the top part of the bunk bed these two boys were sleeping in came crashing down on the poor boy underneath him. That was enough to make me decide to just get twin sized beds. I got those through the Underground above. Two days later, I had 10 beds set up in what was the old break room. Then came the appliances. The refrigerators I liberated from topside in one of the abandoned buildings. One was a half in half – the left side was a freezer while the right side was a regular fridge. The second one had the top half as the freezer and the bottom half as the fridge. From there it was a matter of getting food from the peddlers up top. The two grills and the barbeque I liberated from the apartment of a couple that had recently been murdered by local mobsters had also come in handy. I had those placed in the top-left corner of the main plaza, relatively close to where one of the benches resided at the time.

It was during this particular time that I was first tempted to use my currency card. I had bought some frozen fish from a particularly shady dealer up top and had inspected it. The frozen fish looked well enough when I bought it. By the time I had gotten deeper into the Underground I had to abandon my wares, for the ice that surrounded the fish had started melting and the smell of rotten meat was making me dizzy. I was sorely tempted, but I kept myself in check. I knew that if I used it there was a chance that the palace might be able to find me through the transactions of the card. That was something that I wanted to avoid no matter what happened. As much as the situation I was currently in sucked, it would be much worse if the Neo-Queen found out of my existence. A life of servitude was not what I had in mind when I accepted these powers.

I sigh and get out of the bed that I am using. Sleep, apparently, will not find me tonight. I might as well start doing something productive. I still need to make plans to go back up top. I need a radio and/or a holo-gen... I need to know what's going on in the rest of the city. Has the news said anything in regards to the youma? Surely the witnesses had blabbed everything they saw from when the youma, disguised as cops, where chasing me. The previous owner of my motorcycle must have given them a detailed description of me to the authorities. The mere thought of the Queen hearing about these events and putting the pieces of the puzzle together was enough to drive me to the edge of madness. Had she done or said anything to expose me? Surely she knows of my awakening by now. I need to stay informed as to what's happening out there...

I also need some kind of phone, or maybe even a computer if I could manage to salvage one. I need to get in contact with the other girls. I need to let them know that I'm alright and that I'm in hiding. I need to give them a way to contact me in case they need my help. I sigh as I start getting dressed. I'm going to have to find someone who's no longer in need of their equipment, it seems. That means going through the apartments at Youma Square.

Youma Square used to be called Starlight Square; it's a section of the city near the western part of West Tokyo, right next to the border of the city proper. According to the old newspapers, there used to be several sculptures there representing hero's of the past who helped the Senshi defend the planet during an invasion they called the Second Sailor War. Supposedly, three Senshi from another solar system came to Terra to find their long lost princess and in turn helped the Senshi of this solar system defend the planet against hostile invaders and eventually helped us against the mastermind who had taken possession of one of the strongest Sailor Senshi to ever exist. After the Black Moon invaded though and West Tokyo fell from grace, the youma started pouring in. They started to destroy everything in search of victims for whatever it was that they needed or wanted, be it energy, a body, human meat, even mating. There were few survivors; those who did abandoned everything they owned there and fled to the other side of the city. Things got slightly better after the invasion ended, but the youma where still as big of a problem as they ever were. Eventually, it drew the attention of the mobs, the gangs, and the mercenaries. Some of the groups willingly came together and started fighting back, eventually drawing the youma and the possessed to a stalemate, driving them back into the square and erecting a shield generator of sorts, similar to what is in the Underground. The place has been known to all of West Tokyo as Youma Square ever since.

I finished getting dressed, putting on one of the cargo pants and green tank tops that was in the backpack I had brought with me from the woods. I put on a pair of boots I had liberated and put on a pair of fingerless gloves, to give my hands some semblance of protection, and a camouflage jacket for protection against the chill of the wind, and secured my dagger onto my belt. Ready, I grab my transporter and put it into the now empty backpack before zipping it up and slinging it onto my back and I head out of the makeshift 'bedroom' out into the old terminal, or what is now the 'living room'. I head to where the old train tracks where. I had taken the western strip, which lead to a tunnel that in turn connected with an old ward-protected sewer line that lead to what looks to be a dried up lakebed just outside of the city – which was how I had snuck back into Tokyo in the first place, and in my Senshi form ripped the tracks out with a low-powered Terra Crusher, then used that same attack to turn the debris into a fine dust. I then ran my motorcycle up and down the tunnel until a sort of 'dirt' path was formed. I had to admit to my other half that being the Soldier of Life and Endurance had its advantages. Without those powers, driving my motorcycle down this tunnel would be next to impossible, as the tracks would eat away at the tires unless I used my powers to morph it back into a Lightcycle.

I shook my head from my thoughts as I reached the tracks proper, where my motorcycle was parked. I quickly glanced to the eastern tunnels. I'll have to make note to do the same for the eastern tunnels as I did for the western ones. I'll need quicker access to the main city if I'm to use this as my hide-out.

I quickly don my motorcycle helmet before I rev the engine to life. I back my motorcycle back from the edge of the tunnel where I had it parked towards the center before turning on the headlights and shifting into gear. As I went faster and shifted up I started to concentrate. There were five wards up ahead: two in the subway proper, one separating the subway tunnel from the sewer access point, one in the middle of the sewer tunnel, and a last one at the exit of the tunnel. I saw Checkpoint One up ahead and directed my will towards the energy that made the shield up. The green hue of the shield dimmed and the shield itself became transparent as I sped through it. The second one came about two minutes later, with Checkpoint Three coming up in less than thirty seconds. I kept an eye out and eventually saw the green hue of the checkpoint on the left-hand side of the tunnel. I turn the handle slightly and lean my motorcycle to the left slightly, leaning a bit to the right myself for counter-balance and speed right through, down the slopped ramp (once stairs), and into the old sewer tunnels. I followed the tunnel for a couple of more minutes before I saw Checkpoint Four in the distance.

The chances of hostiles grew more and more as I neared the end of the tunnel. Best to be prepared, I guess. As I phased through the checkpoint, I threw my right hand into the air and shouted "TERRA PLANET POWER, MAKE-UP!" In a flash of light, my clothes where no longer those I had previously put on, but the uniform of the Sailor Senshi of Earth; my motorcycle was no longer the original motorcycle I had come into possession of, but the Terran Lightcycle. I kicked the cycle into the next gear as I passed the final checkpoint, tearing out of the tunnels, flying over the ramp of earth I had created and zooming out of the old lakebed and onto the road proper before veering towards the city, the golden streak of light trailing behind several yards.

The entrance to West Tokyo was not far from the sewer entrance, maybe five or ten minutes via motorcycle. It was not surprising that via Lightcycle it took about a minute or two to reach the entrance. I slow down and turn the lights off so as not to attract any undue attention to myself. This is not my first venture into Youma Square, nor will it be my last, if things were going to go my way. The last time I was here I had raided a set of apartment buildings to the east for furniture. I specifically remember that the majority of the electronics in those apartments had not survived the wrath of the youma invasion, so I decided that I would not go back to that area for this venture. Hmmm... north, I think. There are a set of apartments in the northern section of Youma Square that I have yet to visit. Maybe I'll find what I'm looking for there.

I slowly work my way towards the northern area of the square, and quickly find the apartments that I am looking for. It is a building of seven stories. I will have to start with the top most apartment, the penthouse, seeing as it is the apartment that is least accessible to the youma on the ground floor. I make my way up the stairs, not trusting the elevators after so much time without any maintenance. Meanwhile, I take a look around. So far, the structural integrity of the building seemed pretty solid. Almost as if this particular building did not feel the wrath of the youma as intensely as the other parts of the city. I stopped my ascension for a moment on the fifth floor and looked over the front balcony towards the rest of the surrounding buildings. Indeed, it seemed that for the most part this section of the square was not hit as hard as the rest. This gave me some slight hope. Maybe I'll be able to find some serviceable equipment here after all!

I continue my ascension to the top and reach the sixth floor. Damn, the stairs did not continue to the penthouse. I'll have to take the elevator the rest of the way. I go to the elevator on the side of the stairs and push the button. I wait two minutes before I hit it several times. Another two minutes tells me that the elevator is not working and that I'll have to use brute force. Using my Senshi strength, I pry the elevator doors open and look at the elevator shaft. It seems that the elevator itself is still on the first floor. I look up and notice that the door to the pent house is to my left above me. I jump towards the wall in front of me and kick myself off towards the elevator door of the seventh floor. I land on the edge of the elevator door, barely maintaining my footing, and pry the door open like the one on the sixth floor and take a step into the apartment.

For the most part, everything in here was still intact. There was dust everywhere from the lack of cleaning due to it being abandoned for years, and some of the furniture was moulding, but so far everything looked good. I turned on the lights to make sure the power was still good. To my surprise, the light turned on. I glanced at the far end of the living room. There was a holo-gen sitting in the corner – a 10" disk on a circular stand that projected holographic images of whatever programming was being broadcast to whatever station the holo was tuned to. I turn it on and to my surprise, it works. I set the resolution to be 20", then 45", then 60", followed by some channel surfing. Everything was in working order. I picked up the disk and the remote that went with it, put it on top of the couch and continued my exploration. In the kitchen there was nothing out of the ordinary. I looked in the drawers; there were a set of utensils in there. Opening the cupboards overhead showed a set of plates and bowls that where still intact. I grab all of this and set it on the couch as well. The fridge is full of rotten food, so I leave that as it is and move on. I struck gold in the bedroom. I spied a laptop on top of the table in one corner of the room. It essentially looked like a rectangular block, maybe 7-10" in width. I make sure it's plugged into wall power before turning it on, the display flickering into existence. Sweet! It's booting up! I start praying to the technology gods that the previous owner did not password protect the laptop. To my relief, they didn't. It booted up straight to the desktop. I ran some basic diagnostics, it was an older model laptop, obviously, but whoever was previously living here obviously had some serious money to spend, because for an older computer it was certainly decked out. It would be able to run most of the recent programs, and that is exactly what I need. I looked at the specs and found it to be Wi-Fi compatible, so I would be able to hook up to the web. Looks like I'll be speaking with my girls sooner than I expected.

I shut the laptop down and unplug everything. I take it back to the living room and set it down with the rest of the stuff before going back into the bedroom. I start looking through the drawers for paperwork, some kind of clue as to who it was that lived here before. I finally find what looks like a stack of bills. I look at the name on them.

"Darien Shields..." I mumbled to myself. "Sounds foreign, but oddly familiar..."

I keep looking and, to my surprise, I find a stack of currency in a vanilla envelope. I count 50,000 yen in there! This is definitely going with me. I set it to the side and explore the rest of the bedroom. There's a lamp that I decided would go with me as well. I needed one for the table where I would put the laptop on. In the master bathroom there are a set of towels that look surprisingly fresh. Not about to question my luck, I grab these and, together with the lamp and the money I place it on the couch. Exploring the rest of the apartment but not finding anything else I would need, I dig out the transporter out and set it on top of the couch. It is basically a 4"x4" cube with a button on it, synced to a pad back at the Underground. I found the set in a warehouse not too far from the West Tokyo harbour. It's typically used by companies to transport large quantities of items from one place to another.

I pushed the button and stepped back as the cube started warming up. About thirty seconds later, it came to a head and in a flash of light it transported the couch and everything on it to my base. Satisfied, I take one more look around to make sure I didn't miss anything useful before deciding it's time to depart. I jump back down the elevator shaft to the sixth floor door and make my way back down to the ground level. Just as I start getting on my Lightcycle though, my luck ended.

"Well well well, look at what we have here!" exclaimed an ethereal voice behind me. I turned around and saw what looked like an ordinary woman standing before me. Black hair, brown eyes, pale skin, and a sexy black mini-dress that seemed to shimmer in the moonlight, she appeared to be some kind of sophisticated upper class lady. I knew better though. Not only did she have a weird feeling about her, but there were two small fangs protruding from the top of her mouth. This was no lady, this was a youma.

I smiled. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance," I said as I bowed to her.

She giggled. "And such manners! My oh my, you ARE a rare one, aren't you?"

"I try to be polite with everyone I meet," I replied, hoping that I can somehow talk my way out of a confrontation.

"Indeed, not quite like the upstarts that used to live around here. I must say, it's been a while since I've seen one of your kind roaming about up here. What brings you to our domain?"

She's stalling for time. I can feel two other youma behind me, getting into some kind of formation. They're trying to corral me in. I smile, playing along. "I'm doing some shopping. I needed some equipment and since these buildings have long been abandoned, I decided to liberate what I needed from them. I'm just on my way home right now," I said.

"Really? That's too bad, now that I've shown myself to you I'm afraid that I cannot let you leave. You see, my children are very hungry, and it's been such a long time since we've last feasted on human flesh," she said, a cruel smile forming on her face. I frowned. So it seems like she wanted to play.

"I don't want any trouble, creature of beauty. Let me leave and I promise I will leave you and the two youma sneaking behind me alone, whole and intact. Continue on this course of action and you'll leave me no choice but to... retaliate," I said, pulling out the dagger from its sheath.

The youma laughed at my declaration. Apparently she did not know just who she was dealing with yet. I reach deep within me to touch upon the now familiar energy of the planet, just like I did before in the woods. Unlike in the woods however, I was not handicapped this time by the split in my soul. I was whole and complete, and now had full access to the planets energy.

"So you have some fight in you AFTER all! I always liked it when my prey was able to fight back! It always made things interesting!" she exclaimed as I felt what I assumed where her two children jump at me from behind. I was ready for them. I quickly draw the planets energy to my right hand. For one instance, the small ball of light, no bigger than a golf ball, shined brighter than any sun or star seen by the naked eye. The first time I pulled this energy forth, I was not complete, and so I was limited to my Terra Crusher. No longer am I bound by that weakness. Now that I am complete, I can fully unleash Terra's fury, and unleash it I would.

I clench my hand around the ball and it forms into a glowing javelin. "WORLD BREAKER!" I cried out as I hurled my energy weapon at what looked like a demonic baby of sorts, ashy skin with glowing red eyes, and what looks like little fangs protruding from its mouth. Less than a second after I unleashed it, energy started swirling around the tip of the javelin. The energy attack pierces the child to the left right between its eyes and flares, the attack illuminating and searing the youma from the inside in a wicked display of bright lights and desperate screams as I leap upwards as to avoid the youma to the right. By the time I landed, I had the next attack ready. "TERRAN JURY!" I called out as I slashed my dagger at the second demon-baby from behind, sending a savage wave of Terran energy digging into its back. The screeching of dying monsters fill the night once again as another one bites the dust. I turn around and resume a ready position facing the supposed mother of the two youma children I just slaughtered. "Weaklings," I spat out. She looked openly shocked at the display of power I just gave. She seemed to recover for a moment before narrowing her eyes at me.

"So... the rumors ARE true after all... after all this time, a Senshi has finally grown brave enough to try to clean out our little section of this wonderful city..." she said, and I just couldn't resist answering back.

"Don't tell me you expected to be able to hold onto this territory forever... you youma should know better than that, having such a reputation of getting the stuffing beaten out of you by a bunch of girls dressed in mini-skirts!"

She growled at me before snarling "Such a shame! And here I thought that you where different from the rest, but you all are just the same!" she howled as the human skin she wore tore apart and she expanded to her true form. She looked almost like some kind of were-cat of sorts. Fur everywhere and cat ears on top of her head, towering over me by several feet with a very muscular form. She was quite intimidating.

"Now I will make you PAY for what you did to my cubs!" she screeched out as she charged at me. Her speed was astounding; I barely had time to dodge to the side. She came at me again as I was trying to regain my balance and I had to let myself fall back to avoid her claws. I roll backwards and land in a kneeling position and leap upwards just in time to avoid the were-cat youma's pounce. I tap into the Earth's energy once again and unleash another javelin at the cat. She dodges nimbly and lands in a crouched position before charging once again. I do a couple of back flips to avoid the charging cat before I shoot off another ball of energy at her to slow her down.

"You're fast, little girl," snarled the cat lady. "But let's see you try and dodge THIS!" she exclaimed as she let loose a vicious slice of her claws in my direction. A sonic boom of four crescent shaped slices of wind energy sped towards me. I cried out as I tried in vain to move out of the way on time, but it was not meant to be. I managed to block the first two with my dagger, but the last two managed to hit me. I felt the hot pain as the attack dug into my right side and back. I landed in a crumpled heap, blood starting to flow from the wound I had taken, my dagger sliding off into the night.

The youma sniffed the air, savouring the moment as I let out a whimper, trying to work my way up to my feet. "The scent of your blood is invigorating, young one. Tonight, I will eat well!" she exclaimed as she rushed towards me. My insides froze as I watched her slowly get nearer and nearer. I knew I couldn't get out of the way in time. 'Damnit if I don't do something now I'm done for!' I thought to myself. Reaching into myself to tap into the Earth's energy, I thought out 'I could use some help right about now!'

"_**Relax, my chosen one,"**_ I heard in reply. Terra! _**"Just as my strength is immovable, so too are my defences, for despite all I have endured and still endure, I am still here. Embrace my endurance and protection as you have many times in the past, and trust that I will always keep you safe to the best of my abilities."**_

Heartened by the revelation the Earth's spirit imparted to me in that moment in time, I kneel down on one knee and cross my arms into my chest before crying out "LIVING WARD!" A dome of golden energy forms around me, similar in makeup to the energy wards produced by the shield generators back at the base! This must be why I had such good control over the wards back in the Underground, I can produce them myself! I feel the youma crash into the barrier; a dull thud upon my crossed forearms is felt as impact is achieved. I hear the youma crash unto the ground. The youma gets up and looks for a second, astonished at what I had accomplished. It growled as it started sending those wind slashes in my direction. The shield was holding up against them, but I was starting to feel woozy from the lost blood. This was not good. No, don't think about that, concentrate!

I try to shake the cobwebs and try to re-enforce the Ward but the more pounding it takes, the smaller it gets. What was a decent sized dome before is now only about the size of a closet now. 'What am I doing wrong? This can't be it, I must be missing something!' Then it hit me. _'Embrace my __**endurance**__ and protection and trust that I will keep you safe to the best of my abilities!' _This ability didn't rely on my will, or at least, not entirely like my other attacks! No, I had to channel this ability, have to keep feeding it energy myself! I opened up my connection to the Earth and felt her respond, rejuvenating me and clearing my head, giving me the energy I needed to reinforce and expand my ward to its original position. I kept feeding it the Earth's energy and felt the ward itself start to pulse, almost as if it were taking on a life of its own. At this point I instinctively knew that I could let it go, that it would be able to sustain itself. I do so, and get up, opening the eyes that I had not even realised I had closed to see the youma staring at me with fear. My eyes narrow in fury.

"You just don't understand who you're dealing with," I growled out as the youma took a tentative step back. "I am not like the others. I do not show mercy to those who bring forth destruction. No... I am the Soldier of Life and Endurance, the Senshi of the Earth. I am Sailor Terra, and you have just made your last mistake!"

A light forms in my right hand as I summon forth my javelin once again. The youma's eyes grow wide as she realizes what is about to happen. She runs in a vain attempt to avoid the inevitable. I send a flash of energy to the ward around me and make it collapse, releasing a wave of air pressure that shakes everything within a mile. She stumbles...

"World Breaker!" I snarl out as I let loose the javelin. It impales her through her back and out her stomach. She lets out a screech and in a flash of light, nothing but dust remains. I let out a breath and wince. Despite my victory, I was still injured, the wound on my side throbbing painfully. I needed to rest if I was to let my Senshi healing factor kick in, a distinct memory of similar situations floating through my mind, memories of another time... I shake my head. I'd overstayed my welcome above ground. I walked back to where my Lightcycle was and revved it to life before taking off back home. I have a shower to take, wounds to tend, some sleep to catch up on and some stuff to organize.

'The next few days will be productive ones, it seems,' I thought as I blaze through Youma Square and blaze through the gates and out of the city, hitting the road west towards the dried up lake bed, and eventually, my makeshift home. Relief floods through me; despite my wounds I had achieved my objectives with surprising results. 'I got lucky this time,' I realize. 'Next time, things might not be as convenient as I found them... I need to be better prepared if I'm going to survive this...'

These where my thoughts as I sped through the night, concentrating on staying conscious at least until I could make it back to base, hopefully to get some rest. After all, tomorrow would be a new day.

To be continued...

_Post-Notes: I would like to get this out right now: I completely and utterly love the way this story is flowing right now. I found outlining this chapter to be surprisingly simple compared to the others despite the slight trouble it gave me at the end; after all, fight scenes are not my strong suit. Nevertheless, I am happy with how this chapter turned up. Despite my difficulty with the fight scene, I feel that it came out much better than my first attempt in chapter 5, probably because I was having so much fun writing this particular scene, as it showcased Sailor Terra for the first time as a complete being. Don't worry; while she might seem all-powerful, she's not. She's actually weaker than some of the other Senshi in certain areas, the likes of which will become more obvious as this fic goes on._

_That's all I have to say for now. Till next time readers, I'll be waiting and watching..._


	10. 09: Communion

_Pre-Notes: BUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! I return with another chapter of goodness! Much drama is abound, so hang on to your weaves ladies, it's gonna get bumpy!_

**Chapter 09: Communion**

"Anything new?" Usagi asked as she strolled into the situation room. Poor Ami had been at it for almost a week straight and looked to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"Nothing yet," she replied, taking a sip of her coffee. "There have been several energy spikes throughout the week in West Tokyo but nothing on the scale that we saw last time. I am concerned with one thing, however."

"Which is?" the Queen asked.

"There has been a significant rise in youma activity in the West Tokyo area," replied the Senshi of Water and Wisdom. "Something has riled them up. What exactly it is that has them so worked up I cannot say, not without more data."

"Monitor that area more closely then," instructed the Queen. "Youma are susceptible to all kinds of energies, perhaps whatever caused the pillar of energy the last time is also causing the youma to behave strangely. If there is a connection between the two it could prove to be a significant lead, and can perhaps shed some light as to what, or perhaps even who, was the cause of that display of power."

"Of course, I'll get on it at once," said Ami, pulling up a new display to begin a more detailed monitoring of the area. Usagi observed her working, unknown to Ami as she went about her business. The bags underneath her eyes told stories of unrest and exhaustion, the slump in her shoulders spoke of low energy.

"Ami," Usagi said suddenly, causing Ami to pause in her work for a moment. "Summon Artemis to come and relieve you. He can handle your duties for now. I order you to take today and tomorrow off and to get at least ten hours of sleep, starting now. That is a direct order, Princess Mercury. I expect you to comply," she finished, narrowing her eyes at the now wide-eyed Ami. Guiltily, she nodded her head. "I'll call him in a moment milady."

"You will call him now, while I am in this room. I'll be escorting you to your bed myself," said Usagi, a smug look now present on her face. Ami sighed, and instead of replying she got on the comm system and requested Artemis to come to the situation room.

Several minutes later, a grinning Usagi was walking back from the Rainforest Wing, the section of the Crystal Palace that housed the domestic areas for Ami and Makoto. 'Poor Ami was so tired that she fell asleep before even making it to the bed… oh well, at least Makoto will take care of her now,' she thought as she worked her way through the hallways and a couple of passages before making it back to the situation room.

What she found there was… surprising, to say the least. Artemis was tapping away furiously at the Mercury Super Computer, the new display that Ami had created earlier was flashing more than strobe lights in the middle of a trance concert. "Artemis?" she questioned.

"There are several spikes of energy that has gone off in West Tokyo, specifically in the Starlight Square district of the area. Normally, we get random, chaotic spikes of energy there due to all of the youma in and about this area, however, these spikes are more… ordered," was his response to her unasked question.

"What does it mean?" asked Usagi.

"It means that someone is purposefully tapping into Earth's energy and using it for some kind of purpose, most probably as some kind of attack."

Her insides froze. Could this be it? The new Senshi that Eternal Sailor Saturn had predicted would surface?

She frowned as she dug out her communicator and pressed the symbol for Venus. Shortly, Minako answered the summons. "You called?" she said, her voice cheerful as always.

"Are Rei and yourself still on-planet?" asked Usagi.

"Yeah, we're packing up right now. Why, what did you need?" she asked.

"I'm afraid that your diplomatic trip is going to have to be postponed… I need you," she said, regret in her voice.

"What do you need?" she asked, a serious tone in her voice now, a frown on her face.

"There has been an incident in West Tokyo. I know that we normally leave that area be, but this may prove to be a lead on the origin of the Pillar incident last week. It can also prove to be our illustrious new Senshi finally revealing herself. I need you and Rei to go to Starlight Square and investigate the area. There has been a release of energy, similar in composition to the release of Silver Millennium energy that we produce when we focus our energies for attacks. Investigate the area, try to find out what caused it, and see if you can track it down. If I am not available to take your report when you are finished, report to Artemis."

"Gotcha. I'll let Rei know, we'll be on our way in fifteen minutes."

"Thank you, my friend, and take great care. West Tokyo is a dangerous place now, even for Senshi," responded Usagi before closing the connection.

"Are you going to be busy, your highness?" asked Artemis, curious as to why she had said to report to him if she was unavailable.

"I'm going to take a trip to Elysion, Artemis. Perhaps High Priest Helios has felt or heard something in regards to either this incident or with the new Senshi. Either way, it warrants investigation and I am determined to do this myself."

Artemis paused, almost seeming to want to say something before reconsidering his words. "Very well, but please be careful. There is something odd going on here, something that I can't explain. I can't see it, but I don't like it," he said.

"I promise I'll take the utmost care," said Usagi, a soft smile on her face before she stepped out.

0-0-0-0

"There's something really weird going on here…" I mumbled to myself as I stared at the desktop of my newly acquired laptop.

I'm currently in my sleeping quarters, once the old employee locker room, sitting on a table at the corner of the room with my computer. I had just finished putting everything that I had liberated the night before away and had just finished sitting down with it and had booted it up just a few minutes ago and, looking at it closely, it almost seemed to be brand new! While I KNOW this laptop is an older model, I would have thought it would contain at least SOME programs other than the basic tools, especially if it belonged to a businessperson or student, as the style of apartment I liberated this from suggested. I was currently hooked up to a self-made internet connection. After some experimentation, I found that I could divert planetary energy into electricity and, coincidentally, different kinds of energy mediums. In other words, I could use my power to activate inactive landlines, turning old Ethernet connections into live ones. It was a slower connection than a crystal link, but it works and that's what matters to me.

I'm currently installing CIM onto the laptop – also known as the Crystal Instant Messenger. Once it finished, I typed in my username and password and logged in 'Appear as offline' mode. It takes 10 seconds before I can see the lobby. I take a look at my buddy list and see that Lina IS on. Finally, I'll be able to let everyone know I'm alive.

I yawn as I double click above her username and a chat window appears on the screen. I pause for a moment now, blinking away some of the weariness that had been setting in pretty much all day and wondering just how to start a conversation with a sister who was probably worried out of her mind about me. Surely Rikku and she had noticed by now that I had disappeared… it HAD been a couple week at least, after all, and I had Hotaru as a witness, so she must have told the girls something.

After a minute of staring at a blank chat window, I decided that if all else failed, an attempt at humor would always work as an opener. Slowly I begin to type.

'_Hey sis, would you happen to have another cracked cell phone on you? I seem to have damaged mine while I was out on a run…'_

While it wasn't exactly funny, it was witty enough for my tastes. Satisfied that I was about to shock some socks off, I pressed the Enter key and watched as the message got sent. Then, I waited. I didn't have to wait long either. Her reply came ten seconds later.

'_ARE YOU ALRIGHT?'_

I smiled a sad smile. I was right after all. '_I won't lie and say I'm fine, but I WILL say that I'm a hell of a lot better than I could be, all things considering. Those cops that were chasing after me weren't exactly cops, or human for that matter. I got lucky and lost them in the Underground. I'm safe for now but I doubt I'll be joining civilization any time soon.'_

I sent the message and took a drink from my glass of water. I got my reply shortly after setting the glass down. _'What do you mean __**not human**__?'_

'_The cops chasing after me turned out to be youma in disguise. I managed to lose them in the old tunnels. As strong as they might have been, they're still no match for the wards down here. : )'_

'_Why were they chasing after you?'_

'_Beats me, they're dead now, so I can't exactly ask them. Either way, I am safe right now. I found a safe place to stay in the old tunnels. While I'm not exactly comfortable with the surroundings, the wards keep me safe enough that I don't have to worry about getting jumped by monsters, or worse, the gangs up above.'_

'_Well thank Selene that you're alright then! Rikku and I have been worried sick all week. I nearly fainted when your friend Hotaru came over and told us what happened. Miki and Raina are up here, they insisted on coming once I told them what happened. Also, did you REALLY break your phone?'_

'_Yes, while I was running from the youma it fell and they stepped on it. Poor phone didn't stand a chance so I kept going.'_

'_That's not funny Rini, those phones are really difficult to get without an adult to co-sign, I'll have to purchase one from an online auction and fix it up once it gets here. I don't know how long delivery will take, so you're out of luck for at least two weeks.' _

0-0-0-0

He was deep in meditation when he felt her presence enter his realm. 'So… the Queen has finally arrived…' he thought as he continue to go through the paces, acknowledging his thoughts as they came and letting them go, keeping his mind clear at all times, the small ball of golden energy radiant between his hands. At least another ten minutes pass before he felt more than he heard the doors to his meditation chambers open. He went on for another fifteen seconds before letting go of the golden energy, letting it recede back into the planet. He took a deep breath in before sighing as he let it back out. "Welcome to my meditation chamber, Your Majesty… how might I serve you?"

Usagi looked down upon him, her head cocked to a side, a neutral expression on her face. "Surely you have felt the release of energy last week?" she asked.

He smiled in response. "To be quite honest, I don't think there was a creature on this entire planet that didn't feel that on some level."

"Then perhaps you might know what I am here for…" she replied, a small smile barely tugging at the corner of her mouth.

He paused, thinking on how to reply before deciding a visual explanation might make for a better answer. "Please, follow me. I will show you what you need to know…"

He got up from his lotus position and turn to face her and the door, walking out. Looking over his shoulders only once to make sure she was following, Helios and Usagi made their way out of the temple proper and into the fields of Elysion. Helios then proceeded to pluck a red rose from the many rose bushes and presented it to the Neo-Queen. She took it with a small frown. "You do realize I'm married, don't you?" she asked incredulously.

"The answer to your many questions lie on the bottom of that rose, my Queen," he replied with a small smile.

She flipped it over and gasped at the state of it. Where deep, rose red should have been, was an ashy grey that made the rose look like it was withering.

"What does it mean, Helios?" asked the Queen as she stared at it.

"It is a reflection of the state of this planet, Your Majesty," he replied. "Simply put, this planet is dying, and nothing that neither Endymion nor I have done so far has been effective in restoring it. What is killing this world is, unfortunately, beyond our power to heal. The damage already inflicted is grievous in and of itself. Considering that the planet was already weakened to begin with due to the Great Freeze, and the world as we know it has very little time left. If we cannot find a solution within three years at the most, then this world will be lost to us.

Usagi stood stock still as she contemplated what she was just told. With a cold expression now on her face, she replied, "Why wasn't I informed of this situation?"

"Simply put, my Lady, nothing you could have done would have made a difference. The effects of the Imperial Silver Crystal would be unpredictable at best, devastating at worst. Only the Golden Crystal can be used to directly affect the planet without unforeseen consequences arising. The only way your Crystal would have been able to affect the planet without risking its destruction would be to channel its power through the Golden Crystal, something that cannot be done without risking the destruction of one or both crystals. I trust I don't need to explain the possible ramifications if such an event where to happen?" he asked, already knowing that Serenity knew all too well what the repercussions would be should such powerful mediums be damaged or destroyed in such an event. The backlash of power would sunder the planet to pieces and turn it into another asteroid belt, if anything would be left at all.

The Neo-Queen sighed. "I should have still been informed of the situation, Helios. Regardless, I will be having a discussion about this with my husband. No doubt he instructed you to keep your silence?"

"Yes my Lady," he said.

"What of this new Sailor Senshi, Helios. What do you know of her?"

"I only know what I was able to gleam from communing with the spirit of the planet, my Lady. The Earth has chosen a champion so that the planet may stand a fighting chance against the corruption that grows within her. I have tried to learn more from my communions, but the planet is not forthcoming with any other information. It is… protecting its chosen one, keeping her shielded from any that seek to uncover her for who she is. I apologize if that is not what you want to hear, my Lady, but I am only a priest of this planet, I cannot go against her will…"

She was silent for a moment. "Very well Helios. Continue to commune with the planet. Try to learn exactly what is causing its deterioration. Perhaps if we have more information to work with, we may be able to figure something out. I will not give up on this planet without a fight."

"As you wish, my Queen," said Helios.

She nodded to him in acknowledgement before disappearing in a flash of silver light, teleporting back to the Crystal Palace.

Helios stood there, looking at the place she was standing before letting out a long sigh. "I hope your right, Serenity… and I pray that your path does not clash with Sailor Terra's… for her wrath will be felt for years on end if you go against her will… SHE is now the rightful ruler of Earth…"

0-0-0-0

'_So you said those youma are now dead? I thought you said you lost them in the Underground?'_ I saw on the chat screen. I smiled, thinking about how long it took her to realize my mistake. I began to type a reply, bending the truth to suit my needs.

'_I found their bodies again a week later while going out on a run for supplies. As good as I am at hide and seek, I need to eat __**sometime**__ you know. Anyway, on my way back to the Underground, I saw a flash of light coming from Youma Square. Me being me, I hid in the shadows and investigated. Apparently the youma that were chasing me had a run in with a Sailor Senshi and they got done in.'_

I pressed the Enter key and waited for a reply. I didn't have to wait long. _'You saw a Sailor Senshi IRL? Wait, never mind that, WHAT THE HELL WHERE YOU DOING IN YOUMA SQUARE DUMMY! DO YOU KNOW HOW DANGEROUS THAT PLACE IS? YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!'_

I chuckled a little when I read that. Ever since we were kids Lina was always the one to keep us out of trouble. I was always the one that got us out of trouble whenever it found us. Despite the sisterly bond that we share, our risk factor has always been on opposite ends.

'_Relax Lina, I swear I was perfectly fine. I was aware of my surroundings at all times, nothing got near me going in or out. Besides, Youma Square is pretty much the only place I can safely raid for supplies without drawing anyone's attention. I'd like to see you try to rob a store and get away with it without attracting some kind of heat…'_ I replied. I was always more willing than her to get my hands dirty as far as survival goes. If I had to pickpocket someone to ensure our next meal, then so be it. I always did what I had to do to make sure we didn't have to eat out of garbage bins. Lina-chan was always more hesitant. While not exactly innocent herself, she preferred to work from the background, preferably as an anonymous individual who could not be tracked by anyone. It's one of the many reasons as to why she's one of the best hackers and cyber-thieves that money could buy. She was taught by the best in the business before he died to Yakuza involvement, and she's learned her lessons well.

'_Ok, I understand that, but please, be more careful next time you go up top. Try to avoid Youma Square as much as possible. Come home soon, we're all worried about you and we all miss you. Hotaru misses you too, she's always coming over with that cat of hers asking if you had checked in with us. We think you might have made a lasting impression on her. ;-)'_

Hotaru… just thinking about her caused some of my 'other' memories to surface. I quickly pushed them back, ready to review them later. Diana as well, I'll need to do something about that. Next time I see them, I don't think I'll have a clue as to how to act around them. So much was left unsaid when my previous incarnation decided to kill herself. I honestly do not look forward to that particular encounter. 'Come to think of it… Chibiusa _was_ kind of close to Hotaru while she was still alive… could that be why I felt a connection to her when we first met in Central Tokyo?

'_Yeah, I threw a tray of food at a 'supposed' police officer and pretty much left her hanging at the mall while I tore my way out of there like a man on fire. Some impression…' _I typed out, a frown on my face.

'_Well, it must have been an impressive throw, because she comes over every day and asks about you.'_

I honestly don't know what to think about this. I could understand her going over every now and again to see if Lina had any new info on my whereabouts, but to go over every day? Did I honestly make such a profound impression on her with my zeal in a mere two days that she's worrying that much about me?

'_It's more than that, and you know it…'_ came the sly whisper in the back of my head. Briefly a memory flashed through my head, a pink haired figure lying in an open field, a black haired figure sitting next to her as she leaned over and gave her a peck on the lips…

I shook my head. 'Damn it all to hell and back Rini, keep it together before you go insane!' I thought, mentally reprimanding myself. I need to find a way of getting these memories sorted out soon or I fear my brain will melt. Did my previous self really have that deep of a connection with Hotaru that I'm getting flashes of them together now? Is that why Hotaru is so concerned about me?

'_Next time you see her, tell her that I'm safe… also, tell her that I'm sorry for how our shopping trip ended and that I'll make it up to her when it's safe for me to resurface…' _I typed. Hopefully, by the time we meet again, I'll have mastered these memories and won't be so bogged down by them. Last thing I need is for these memories to hinder me from going out and doing what I normally do.

'_No worries. I'll let her know as soon as I can.'_

'_Good. Listen, I need to log off. Got other things I need to take care of. I'll try to log on tomorrow to give you an update on my situation.'_

There was a momentary pause in the conversation until she replied back. _'Ok. I understand you got things to do. Just please, be careful. As safe as you are in the Underground, you're still right smack in the middle of dangerous territory… log on soon.'_

'_I will. Bye.'_

I close the chat window and terminate the program before sighing and shutting the computer down. I get up and head towards the bed that I had been using, a shiver of cold crawling up my spine. Striping myself of all clothes except my panties, I lied down and covered myself up with the thin blanket, trying to warm up some while getting rest. Despite my triumph against the cat demon earlier the previous day, I felt unusually worn. Despite the fact that I was so tired, however, I still couldn't manage to get any sleep.

'_Why, damnit? Why can't I get any rest…?' _I thought to myself, feeling thoroughly miserable about my situation.

Another hour goes by. Sleep still doesn't come to me. Tears come to my eyes as desperation finally starts to seep in.

"Why…" I sobbed out loud. "Why can't I sleep… what's wrong with me?" I sobbed out, gasping for air as I started struggling just to breath.

It was then that I felt it, a tug at the back of my mind, as if something was trying to get my attention. I shot up and looked around with a sharp eye, trying to spot anything out of place. It felt almost as if someone, or something, was watching me. And that's when I felt the warmth. Warmth I hadn't felt in weeks. Warmth I had last felt when I was alone, in a forest, trying to cope with the changes that where occurring in me. I knew, in that instant, who was watching me at the moment, and one word came to my mind, and out of my mouth.

"Mother…" I sobbed out, the radiant warmth penetrating my very being.

"_I am here, my child,"_ came the reply, vibrating in my head soothingly as it did those weeks ago. Terra was communing with her once more.

"What is happening to me, Mother? What is wrong with me?" I asked, hoping that she could provide her with answers.

"_There is nothing wrong with you, my child… if anything, I am the one who is at fault here…"_

I blinked… "But Mother…"

"_I am dying, my child… I explained why the last time we communed. However, my malignant state has had an unforeseen consequence… while I might be able to bestow great power upon you as my avatar; your powers are also severely limited as the result of my weakened state. Whenever you use your greatest of abilities, it will wear you down to the point of near-death. It will take a good while for you to recover, I'm afraid, for while my powers might allow you to overcome your mortal limits, the human body can only handle so much stress. I, in my weakened state, can compensate you some of the energy needed to recover, but unless I am fully healed, you will not be able to use your higher abilities without paying for them later."_

Higher abilities... I thought back to the fight I had with the cat demon. 'My attacks weren't the issue… the dagger attacks, while potent, are more precision based attacks and don't carry a lot of power behind them… and my World Breaker, while powerful, didn't leave me half dead after I used it… so what could it…'

Then my eyes widened comically as the reason hit me. The Living Ward, the shield I had summoned, the shield which I had had to channel to maintain. While channeling that spell, I had to ground myself and link directly to the planet to draw the power I needed to maintain the protective dome around me.

"_I see that you have come to the right conclusion… while my power can be used to protect yourself and others, you must also be wary of how much power you channel, or else you will tax your body beyond my ability to help you with…"_

"I see…" I mumbled, my eyes weary with sleep deprivation.

"_Sleep, my child…"_ I heard. _"Know that I watch over you. You will find that the sleep you crave will no longer evade you on this night… we will commune again tomorrow."_

I hesitated, torn between wanting to sleep and wanting to talk to Mother Terra some more. In the end, sleep won out, and I laid back down, covering myself with my blanket and closing my eyes, a smile on my face for the first time in weeks.

'Thank you, mother…'

_To Be Continued…_

Author's Notes: Ouch! So not only do we get a glimpse of life outside the Underground, but we find out Sailor Terra's greatest weakness! I'm sure we can all attest to just how well we function without getting enough rest. To be exhausted to the point that Rini has gotten makes doing even something as mundane as getting up out of a chair a tremendous chore, and while I might get static about it, this exhaustion will play a pivotal role later on in the story. Trust me, you're gonna like where I take this later.

A note on updates: they will be coming very infrequently. I might post chapters back to back in a month's time, or might go months before I get to the next one. My writing habits are very sporadic at the moment, especially considering both IRL and WoW have me by the go-nads right now. Work hours have me exhausted to the point of not being able to concentrate on anything. Game wise, my guild came to me a couple of months ago and asked me to come out of retirement and raid with them. Last time I did serious raiding prior to this was two years ago, during the Burning Crusade expansion, a brief stint prior to my unemployment when Wrath of the Lich King first came out, and slightly at the end of the LK expansion. I have currently finished gearing up my tank and have started raiding seriously with my guild. Three nights a week, I'm hitting a raid, and if not I'm farming materials for supplies (food, flasks, etc) or doing my Molten Front dailies. At work, things have been hectic. My hours have been changed with no prior notice and I am now having to wake up even earlier than accustomed, so at the end of the day I'm much more tired when I get home.

That being said, I will do my absolute best to get content out on a timely manner, however, 'timely' always takes a back seat with me until anything I write passes my quality tests. I do my best to not post crap. If I'm not happy, I do everything I can to strip, change, and even scrap if need be, until I am satisfied with a chapter.

Speaking of chapters, this one is a particular favorite of mine, not because of the drama (which there is plenty of, as you can see), but because it gives you a glimpse of the relationship Rini will have with her planet as her avatar. It also shows why, while being powerful, Sailor Terra is NOT indestructible. Unlike the previous chapter, which showed her as being almost overpowered, this chapter shows us her mortality, a side of her that we've been seeing a lot of in her base form. You'll be seeing a lot more of this side of her translate into her Senshi form soon enough.

I'll leave things here for now, I think. Happy reading, folks. Till next time, I'll be waiting and watching…


	11. 10: Tracing and Tracking

_**Chapter 10: Tracing and Tracking**_

The neighborhood was quiet. A feeling of nervousness seemed to linger in the area and could be felt by all who neared Youma Square for the last two days. Yet for Eternal Sailor Mars, she counted herself lucky to be able to feel it. It made it easier to pick up on the different vibes in the area, so that she might be able to discern just what might have happened here in greater detail. Though from the destruction done to the surrounding area, it wasn't that difficult to divine – something had died here. Whether it was human or youma was something that had yet to be determined.

"Any luck, Venus?" she said into her wrist communicator, doing her best to keep her voice down yet she attract attention of the wrong sort.

"Nothing yet, Mars," came the reply on the other end, the voice kept just as low. "Just more of the same, abandoned buildings, wrecked cars, debris everywhere… whatever happened here, it must have been a pretty nasty fight."

"Agreed," said Mars. "Something serious went down here two days ago, and whatever happened, it left something behind… a feeling of… pain and anguish that lingers in the area…" Her eyes where closed now, following the feelings to a specific street in front of an abandoned building.

After several moments of aimless wandering, she opened her eyes.

"Venus, I think I found it," said Mars as she took in the scene around here. Here, the destruction took on a new light. Claw marks where gouged into the concrete and a couple of the surrounding cars where crunched up, as if something crashed into them. There where slash marks on the walls as well, and if she was looking at it correctly, they looked like they came from some sort of bladed weapon.

While she was surveying the scene, Venus arrived and took a look of her own. Her sharp eyes went from place to place until she spotted an anomaly.

"Mars, over here," she said as she headed towards the middle of the street. Mars soon joined her in staring at what she had found. A perfect circle of concrete had somehow been preserved in some kind of onslaught that had destroyed much of the surrounding area.

"Some kind of shielding, perhaps?" asked Venus as she stared at the spot.

"Maybe…" mumbled Mars, kneeling before the area and closing her eyes. "The lingering energy around this spot feels more natural than they chaotic energy that is ambient to the area. It seems like someone used pure planetary energy to form some kind of ward to hold off some kind of area-of-effect attack. If the destruction to the surrounding area is any indication, then the ward that was summoned here must have saved the life of whoever the summoner was."

"You think it might have been the new Senshi?" asked Venus, curiosity now edging at her mind. If the new Senshi was capable of shielding against destructive attacks, she could prove to be a worthy ally…

"That's what I'm thinking as well," said Mars. "The new Senshi must have confronted some sort of youma at this spot and fought it. I've not seen any evidence yet as to who won or lost, though from what I see and feel, I'm pretty sure the new Senshi won the fight."

"I kind of figured that," replied Venus in a rather dry tone. Leave it to Mars to point out the obvious. Then again, she tended to do that sometimes too…

"Let's record the scene and continue searching, we can have Mercury or Artemis look at the findings later. Right now I don't feel too comfortable here," she continued, a rather chilling feel creeping up her spine.

"I agree - something about this place doesn't feel right…" mumbled Mars, getting up from her kneeled position and dusting her off.

As they started walking off, however, Mars suddenly froze in place. Venus gave her a side-glance. "What's wrong Mars?"

"We aren't alone…" was the reply she gave.

Her head snapped to the left towards one of the alleys, only to find a figure leaning against the wall, staring at the two of them, their face and body hidden in a thick cloak of black with gold trim.

"Who are you?" snapped off Venus at the mystery person in the alley.

The stranger seemed to consider the answer before opening their mouth to answer.

0-0-0-0

_Many believe that when one meditates, concentration is the key to doing it successfully. This is wrong. While concentration is important, it is focus that is the key to successful meditation. It's impossible to keep concentrating without the proper focus. To be able to acknowledge every single stray thought that ripples through your mind and brush it aside to study later, until your mind is completely blank, takes great focus to achieve._

This is how I was taught to meditate by Raina several years ago, and it has helped me maintain focus throughout my day as the years went by.

Now, I was putting this skill to great effect. Using this technique, I have been able to pull up and review the different memories I have acquired from the late Princess Usagi. So far, everything I have found had been quite useful. I not only had the memories and experiences of the princess growing up here in Crystal Tokyo, but I apparently had the memories and experiences of her adventures as a time traveler. Apparently she had a key that she used to open a doorway to the past. The time which I saw was more similar to what I had experienced growing up here in the thirtieth century; only the technology was a bit more primitive. It amused me to see the Neo-Queen in her youth, to see how much of an airhead she actually was, constantly tripping over herself, unable to so much as keep herself in check when confronted with junk food or manga. I also had the benefit of seeing Hotaru as a little kid; she was the cutest thing I had ever seen!

Not everything was a field of roses, however. I also had a lot of bad memories from that time. I was actually able to experience the Black Moon Invasion first-hand thanks to the memories of the late princess, in addition to the Mistress 9, Dark Moon Circus, and Sailor Galaxia incidents. I have only experienced fear like that a couple of times in my current life, and it was none too pleasant…

My thoughts were somewhat interrupted when I felt warmth surround me. I smiled, knowing what was happening. While I was not communing directly with the planet, I was able to 'feel' it with enough focus. I was able to touch upon it's emotions as if they where my own. I currently felt a lot of pain, but amidst it was contentment, for I could feel how proud Mother Terra was of herself for finally achieving her life-long goal ever since her conception, the birth of her own Sailor Senshi. I also felt the love that she had for me, the reason for which I saw her now as more than just my source of planetary power. It enveloped me like a warm blanket, soothing my aches and pains away while providing me with comfort the likes of which I had honestly never felt before. Sure, the girls cared for me, and of course Lina loved me like a sister, but I honestly have never had quite the mother figure like was experiencing with the spirit of my planet. Raina was the closest to a mother figure I have ever had, but even then, she just could not compare to her new Mother now. Not after what she had experienced ever since her soul was completed those weeks ago.

'Thank you, mother,' I thought, concentrating briefly on getting my message across. I felt the planet pulse beneath me, and knew that she had heard my heartfelt thanks.

Brushing aside my thoughts for the time being, I drew my focus back inward. Acknowledging everything I was thinking and setting it all aside for later, I quickly cleared my mind until there was nothing but blissful silence.

I can't honestly say how long I stayed in that position. When you disconnect yourself from the rest of the world and turn your focus inward, time tends to move at a different pace. What could in fact be hours could seem like mere minutes to you. Visa-versa, you can be in that state for five minutes while each second can feel like days at a time. The entire universe can come undone beneath your feet and you would be blissfully unaware of all the happenings surrounding you. It is as close to inner peace as any mortal can achieve, for however brief the moment may be.

The next time I opened my eyes, I could tell something was different. I glanced around and noticed it immediately: my laptop was acting on its own. Frowning, I get up out of my lotus position on my bed and walk over to the little table where the computer sat and looked to see what was going on. Apparently, someone had gotten passed my firewall and had remote access to my computer. The chat window to CIM was also open, the chat box displaying all I needed to know by the message typed in it: _Your computer sucks…_

I chuckled, finding the humor in the situation. Leave it to Lina to hack into my computer just to see what kind of hardware I was working with…

I sat down and typed up my reply. _'Well, I can't exactly go down to the local electronic store and buy the latest state-of-the-art technology you know. I work with what I have…'_

I press the Enter key and the message gets sent. I wait a moment before the next reply pops up.

'_There's a difference between 'working with what you have' and 'working with stone-aged technology' girl. For crying out loud, I haven't seen an 18-core processor in use outside of museums and scrap yards!'_

'_Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. You're lucky I managed to find this 'piece of computer history' to begin with, else I'd still be incommunicado, Miss 'I-use-the-latest-in-crystal-tech-hardware'…' _I type up.

I pretty much expected the next reply. _'You can still do better.'_ There's no way I'm winning this argument, it seems.

'_Is there any particular reason you decided to hack into my 'dinosaur of a computer', or where you just that bored…?'_ I typed out.

'_A little of both, actually. I had nothing better to do so I decided to check in on you and see just what you where working with. Considering you scavenged it from an abandoned apartment unit is surprising, crystal technology has been around for hundreds of years already…'_

'_Maybe whoever owned it had it for a reason…'_

'_I'd probably say for privacy… I have to admit, for an old computer, it's isolated enough that even I had some difficulties finding it. Especially considering the connection you're using…'_

I felt a chill go down my spine. Is she hinting at something here? 'Shit,' I cursed. 'Has she managed to pin-point where I'm at?'

This would complicate things… it was bad enough that I was involved in this now, I certainly didn't want to bring my sister into this…

I sighed and typed up the question that I was dreading the answer for. _'Where are you?'_

I waited maybe ten seconds before she answered, and I groaned at what I read. _According to your source signal, I'm about two kilometers east-northeast from your location. I managed to get by the first couple of energy barriers as they are computer-generated and managed to bring them down temporarily and get through before they were brought back up, but I hit a roadblock at the one I'm at, as it seems to be more of a natural barrier than a generated one…'_

Damn, that means she's at one of my 'last resort' barriers further up the tunnels. 'I can't believe she actually footed it here. This really isn't like her at all…' _'Are you by yourself?'_

'_Yes.'_

I sighed. 'Well, at least I only have to deal with her for now… but how long will it be before I have to face the others?'

'_You're crazy. I thought Rikku was the one who was insane in our circle of sisters, but you are certifiable loony. What direction did you come from?'_ I typed out.

'_I took some of the restricted access tunnels from Central Tokyo. I've been following the old tunnel lines towards your location. I'm in what looks like one of the old maintenance tunnels.'_

'_Don't move,'_ I typed out before getting up. I quickly threw on one of the sweatpants and t-shirts from the Princess's bag, put my socks and shoes on, and quickly tied my hair into a loose ponytail before running out to the main tunnel. I got on my motorcycle, revved it to life, and quickly started riding east towards her direction. It took all of three minutes before I hit the barrier I had created on this side. Approaching it, I slowed down and came to a stop. I could see her on the other side, dark blue long-sleeved shirt and black jeans-clad, sitting down on the ground, laptop in her lap, typing furiously. She was probably still trying to get through to me. Seems like the barrier that was up was blocking all sound from my end too, as she had yet to notice my arrival.

I grinned, knowing what was going to happen. I reached out with the limited control that I had in my base form and brought down the barrier.

She jumped sky-high as the rumbling sounds of my motorcycle hit her all in one go, the barrier separating us now gone and the headlight shining brightly before her. She stared at me, looking at me as if I were some kind of ghost.

"Get on," was all I told her. She quickly closed her laptop, throwing it into standby mode, put it in its bag, and scrambled over to where I was. She sat down beside me and wrapped her arms around my midsection, hugging me tightly.

"Remember to lean in whatever direction I lean in, otherwise the ride's going to be uncomfortable," I said as I turned the bike around. The barrier behind us sprang back to life as I let my hold on it go.

Looking back as I rode back down the tunnel towards my sanctuary, I thought back. Why the hell did she come down here by herself? It didn't make sense, if she was going to come down here she would have either gotten one of the other girls to escort her or she would have informed me in advance so I could meet her somewhere and escort her down. To come down here on her own was so out of character for her, considering that she never went anywhere remotely dangerous without me or one of the girls…

Wait… that must be it…

'Guess she didn't want to risk my turning her down, and if she would have brought one, the others would have wanted to come… she must have sneaked out on her own! Well played, sis…'

0-0-0-0

_Many believe that when one meditates, concentration is the key to doing it successfully. This is wrong. While concentration is important, it is focus that is the key to successful meditation. It's impossible to keep concentrating without the proper focus. To be able to acknowledge every single stray thought that ripples through your mind and brush it aside to study later, until your mind is completely blank, takes great focus to achieve._

This was how he was taught to meditate thousands of years ago, and the skill had served him well throughout his life. It allowed him to maintain his focus in his day-to-day life, and helped when he needed to organize his thoughts.

It also allowed him to enter the state of mind he needed to channel the powers of his planet. This is how we currently find Endymion, Neo-King of Crystal Tokyo. He sat in a lotus position on his meditation cushion, his figure surrounded by the different flora under his care. He often used his private gardens as a place to meditate, find inner peace, and commune with the planet as needed. While quite powerful in his own right, the unfortunate downside of being born male meant that his connection with the planet was not as powerful as it should be. While his power easily surpassed even the strongest of the High Priests of Elysion, his level of power was nowhere near what his wife or her Senshi where capable of…

As soon as he realized where his thoughts were taking him, he reigned them in, acknowledged them, and swept them aside for later study. This wasn't the time to think on this. Now was a time for healing.

He was currently channeling his planetary power through the Golden Crystal, using it as a conduit. Directing the power through the ley-lines of the planet, he strained slightly as he tried to fuel his planet with the energy it needed to heal more of the damage it had sustained throughout its lifetime.

He sat there for what seemed like minutes but was in actuality over five hours just channeling golden power into the planet, trying his best to revitalize it so that it might continue its healing. Finally, approaching the sixth hour, he let the power go and broke the circuit, slumping forward and catching the Golden Crystal before it fell on the grass. He gasped for air; his energy spent trying to maintain the effort for as long as possible. He took the moment to catch his breath, before sitting back up, straightening his back and going back into his meditative trance. He felt for the planet beneath him and felt it respond to his touch. What he found disturbed him.

'Nothing… all that time and energy, and it didn't even help one bit…' he thought. Before, his efforts where somewhat rewarded, as he felt the energy at least sooth over some of the damage it had sustained over the last two thousand years, between the damage caused by humans, youma, and the Great Freeze. Now, however, the energy he supplied to the planet was no longer having any effect. 'Either the planet is storing the energy I'm supplying it, or it's just no longer affecting it. Has the extent of the damage gone so far that it can't even receive its own Golden energy?'

His head pulsed; he could feel the beginnings of a headache coming up. He sighed and shook his head. 'This situation is getting worse and worse by the day…'

His thoughts were interrupted as he felt arms snake around his torso. He smiled as he felt lips briefly graze the back of his neck before he felt her head on his right shoulder. "You look stressed dear," she whispered. Leave it to her to call him out on something so obvious. While stress was nothing new to the both of them, they always bore it well. For her to call him out on that, it must have really been showing. 'I must have spent more energy than I originally thought I did…'

"I am," was his short reply. He felt her nod, though she made no move to back up. He leaned into her embrace, savoring the warmth that she provided him. They both remained that way, silently enjoying the comfort provided by the other's presence, before she spoke. "I visited Elysion earlier today. Helios told me what was going on with the planet."

I nodded. "It was only a matter of time before you noticed it. I have been doing everything I could ever since the Great Freeze to provide the planet with Golden energy so that it might heal. It has worked for the most part, but recently the energy I have been providing it has not been having any effect."

"Helios said the planet is dying," she whispered.

"He speaks the truth. If this trend continues, it will be a few short years before the planet succumbs to a complete ice age. Life as we know it will be unsustainable, and we'd have to go underground to try to survive. Without vegetation, oxygen would be non-existent. The human race would be facing extinction within two to three generations."

She nodded. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Maybe, but I don't want to risk it unless it's an absolute last resort."

"Why not?"

"If this planet is not reacting to its own Golden energy, I cannot even begin to predict how it would react to Silver energy. While it might help, it might also finish it off should something go wrong. Not only that, but you would have to use the Golden Crystal as a conduit for the power of your Silver Crystal, and that act alone could very well destroy the two. The results of the sudden destruction of two objects of such immense power would not only destroy the planet, but it would wipe this whole system out of existence."

She nodded in understanding. She more than anyone knew of the potential volatility that lay behind the power that her Crystal was able to summon. It had been responsible for one of her three deaths already; she did not wish to die a fourth time. She sighed into him as she hugged him tighter. "Whatever happens, we'll get through it together…"

They stayed that way for several more moments before she finally let him go so he could stand up. Immediately she was at his side, an arm around his waist as they walked out of his private gardens and towards the palace. They were met at the door by two guards, both looking anxious.

"Your Majesty, your Highness, we have news of your Scouts."

The two Royals looked at each other before they stared at the two guards. "Speak," they both said.

"Sailor Mars and Venus have returned, your Highness," they started. "They in the medical wing right now receiving treatment."

"Are they hurt?" asked Serenity.

"I'm afraid they are, your Highness. Both sustained severe injuries, though last I heard it was not life threatening."

There was a moment of silence before the Neo-Queen responded. "Very well then, I will make my way to them right now. Thank you, for bringing this to my attention,"

The two guards bowed and stepped aside for the two Royals. Neither of them spoke, but it seemed that, in that tense silence, they found themselves in an agreement of some kind. Between the release of energy two weeks ago, the anomaly at West Tokyo's Starlight District, the revelation that the planet was not receiving the healing energy that had sustained it over the last one thousand years, and now the news that two of the Senshi were injured, one could only come to one conclusion…

They were facing a new threat, and whatever was the cause of this, they were a force to be reckoned with…

_To Be Continued… _

Author's Notes: So yeah, not as long as the majority of the other chapters, but I felt this was a good place to leave it. So now Rini has Lina to deal with. What will be revealed and what will remain secret? Well, that's something you'll have to wait for next update! =P

A little unusual, I realized, me updating back-to-back like this. Two chapters within two weeks is a bit out there for me, the second one being a wee bit on the short side, but honestly, I really wanted to get this chapter out there as it moves the story along in the direction I need for my next update. Lina disappearing on her own and finding Rini is going to keep things fresh for a while. She'll be playing more of a role from now on.

A little teaser for next chapter: Lina breaks her vow of silence!

Till next time, keep reading and reviewing, and until next time, I'll be watching you…


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